School Climate

My action research aims to improve school climate by getting more kids involved in campus activities.  I am looking to expand our activities to better match the needs and wants of our student population.  My initial ideas revolved around adding the sport of soccer to attract our large Hispanic population.  My principal was interested in adding golf.  My classmates have suggested that I look outside of sports to other activities, such as a book or art club, to expand the reach of my proposal.  I have included those suggestions into my action research.  When contacting other middle schools, I will look for middle schools that have a diverse range of activities for kids. Initially I was hesitant to pursue this topic simply because athletics was involved.  My principal and many of my classmates helped to relieve those concerns by offering words of support.  Many of my classmates are interested to see if my ideas provide motivation for my students, particularly my Hispanic population. One classmate mentioned that this sub-group is underrepresented in school activities on his campus also, and he would like to see if my ideas pay dividends.  My principal was very enthusiastic about my topic.  He called the topic “relevant” and felt it would be beneficial to our school and district.  All of these positive comments reaffirmed my decision to pursue this topic with the only real changes being the one’s mentioned above.

Action Research Plan

Action Research Plan 1.  Goals and Objectives My primary research objective is to determine if providing a more diverse set of extra-curricular activities will enhance the overall school climate.  I want to see if providing more involvement opportunities for kids will help improve their perceptions of the school and improve the campus environment. Another goal of my action research is to improve the self-esteem of many of our students.  By getting them involved, they will feel better about themselves and their school which should reflect positively on our campus. 2.  Activities Designed to Meet Objectives I plan on searching the internet for Texas middle schools with similar size and demographics. I will then search their websites for information on their extra-curricular activities.  I will follow-up with e-mails and phone calls to the administrators and coaches at these schools to determine the effectiveness of their activities.  Middle schools in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Beaumont will be evaluated. I will survey students and teachers at local schools to determine if adding extra-curricular activities could better serve their student populations. I will implement these activities in physical education classes to determine the level of support for the new additions. I will research on the internet what motivates the middle school student. 3.  Resources and Research Tools a.  Interviews b.  Staff and student surveys c.  Internet searches d.  Direct feedback from students participating in the study e.  Periodicals 4.  Timeline for  Completion or Implementation

Getting Started

This week, I finished reading chapter two, and I have been enlightened on nine academic areas  that are ripe for action research: staff development, curriculum development, indiviual teacher(s), indiviual student(s). school culture/community, leadership, management, school performance, and social justice (Dana, 2009, p. 30), I really feel very confident about doing an action research after this week lessons.

Action Research

Action Research is a reflective process that is needed at times for inquiry and discussion. It is a collaborative activity among colleagues searching for solution to everyday problems  experienced in schools to improve instruction and increase student achievement rather than deal with theoretical. Action Rearch allows practitioners to adress those concern that are closest to them. This process allows you toexamine  practice systematically and using techniques of research. Action Research is a process that alternate between action and critical reflection. I found this interesting as educators we would used such a system that benefit the entire culture of our school, simply by using research tools to gain certain knowledge about how to come up with a solution to solve a problem. Although, there are matters that need to be address, but we need to know how to approach the problem . Action Research is done by educators to understand their students to improve learning and engagement. As you think about how you will collect data for your action research consider what sources are available and how these will help you address your research. Action Research provides opportunity for collaboration with colleagues and allows you to reflect on your own practice.

Some educational leaders may used blogs to reflect on different situations by looking at how other people view certain situations, this give the educational leader a moment to review or ponder for a moment without rushing to a decision. While looking at other blogs you may run across similar problems or situations.