Action Research: Not Only About the Action and the Research

During the past week, my readings and learning for my graduate class have transported me into an Action Research journey. This place is familiar and comfortable for me which bodes well for the remainder of the class. As I have visited with other teachers within this course and outside of this course, at workshops, conferences, and other educational settings, I have begun to realize how fortunate I am to have had the experiences I have had as a teacher. While teaching at an elementary school in San Angelo, my campus was chosen as an elite group of schools known as the Partnership Initiative Schools. Our task was daunting but exciting: we were to take a Title I, mediocre performing school and elevate it to a level of excellence. To do this, we, as a staff guided by an incredible principal-learner, became true investigators of our school environment. We studied attendance trends, population trends, test data, and teacher burnout. We gathered surveys from parents, students, and staff members. We spent most of a summer as a professional learning community reading about the best practices for schools that mirrored our school. Finally, after our investigation was complete, we created a plan unique to our school that we believed would accelerate learning and create an environment of positive change. The year began, and we pushed forth in our efforts. The entire school community became involved and invested in this initiative. With some wheedling, we were able to rely on school board members and upper administrators in the school system to come to our campus and substitute while we as teachers and principal took a day each six weeks for professional development. The professional development consisted of about 75% reflection (pre- and post-) and 20% action. 5% of our time was spent celebrating our successes and creating a school family. To this day, and my experience at this school was over 14 years ago, this elementary school continues to be a model of excellence. Although we did not call it Action Research at the time, what we participated in was Action Research. The result was a school that continues to excel and educators who have continued to tout Action Research in their new positions outside of that school. Some of the teachers have gone on to become principals; some have gone on to become educational consultants; many have remained in a classroom teaching other teachers how to become true teacher leaders through Action Research. In my role as a teacher-leader at my present school district, I lead my teachers through an Action Research process throughout the school year. This practice is invaluable to me as a teacher and a leader in my school district.