Action Research Project Update:

The re-evaluation of the rubric was completed in Dec. of 2012 for the selection of the 2013/2014 incoming freshman class.  The new rubric relied more heavily on classroom performance and academic rigor of classes taken in middle school.  In addition, more weight was given to teacher evaluations of the target subject areas of ELA and SS.  In addition, the entrance essay was given slightly more weight both in content and mechanics.  The standardized tests weightings were reduced.  The initial survey results of the mentor/mentee program have been returned.  Currently my master mentors and I are reviewing the data to adjust the match-up process and initial orientation to take place at the end of April.  So far we have determined to match on things relatively unrelated to academy activities such as involvement in band or athletics.  If there is no designated interest in activities like those that require a high involvement of committed hours, we will revert back to academy criteria for matching.  As to date, only one exit interview has been conducted.  The results of that interview indicate dissatisfaction on the social integration, which is the aim of the mentor/mentee program.  Three more exit interviews are scheduled. Preliminary data indicates schedule/academic conflicts as the reason for voluntary withdrawal.  The grades for academy classes are continually under data analysis and gathering.  It is too early to draw conclusions.  Research with other academies of a similar model are ongoing.  We are currently working with another academy in the development of our senior capstone course curriculum.  The partner academy has offered the course for seven years with success.  We are also going to engage in a distance learning instance where we broadcast our Global Issues Summit to them live.  The compiling of data for the 2013/2014 entering class is in process.  In addition, the district has started an Academy Task Force Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of academies.  We have both parent and student representation on this academy.  I regularly provide data to them and take into account their feedback.  Overall, it appears that the retention between 9^th and 10^th grade for the class of 2016 will be significantly higher than that of 2015.  I hope to raise that retention rate even more for 2017.  Factors beyond our control, such as moving, will be accounted for in an appropriate manner.  I am concerned with dissatisfaction on a social level and those students who cannot maintain our academic standards.  

Action Plan Clarification

After reading Paola's comment, I realize that there are probably more people who are confused!  I definitely want feedback and so thought I would clarify.  My action research question is:  "How can I increase Academy student retention rate between the 9th and 10th grade?". 

Paola's questions were: 

Paola KiselOctober 29, 2012 6:37 PM

I am a little confused about your goal. Is your goal is to retention of students between 9th and 10th grade who do not pass? Your second action step is repeated on your blog. For “Student and Parent Exit Interviews of students who have already left” do you mean you are going to interview student who graduated last year (how are you going to find them to interview) or are you going to interview students who will be gradating this year (maybe interview them a week before graduation)?

To help clarify, I responded:  

(I hope it clarifies for everyone...if not let me know because I value your comments and feedback!)

Anne BeckmanNovember 4, 2012 5:24 PM

Paola,
Thank you for your comment! It lead me to realize that I need to add some clarification about my plan. The Academy is an optional program to which students apply and are selected. They follow a more rigorous curriculum requirement than your average student would. In addition, they have several extra-curricular commitments that they must fulfill. We are only allowed to select 100 students per generation, so careful selection and retention is a must. Students must maintain an academic standard of 75 in core cores (ELA and SS are honors level) and an 80 in their foreign language course. Academy retention will deal with those who are academically successful and the peer support/inclusion. I want to ensure that I select students who are academically capable. I also need to ensure that I am providing students with peer support as most are coming from across the district and will not know anyone in the new school. Students leave for various reasons: removed due to falling below the 75/80 standard, miss their friends, can meet standard but feel it is too much work/stress, cannot complete the extra-curricular activities, etc. The goal is to increase retention between 9th and 10th grade (the greatest time of attrition) by examining the various reasons for students leaving and find better ways to meet their needs.

The student/parent exit interviews are for those who leave from here on out (voluntarily or removals) to find out what needs were not being met. Students from the class of 2015 or 2016 who left prior to the start of this project (voluntarily or removed) will be contacted and asked to participate as well for more data. Most have stayed within the district and will be easy to find. Students in the classes of 2012, 2013, and 2014 will not be considered in the study because their academy requirements differ from the current.

Also, the second and third action step differ only in one is geared towards the class of 2015 (current mentors who were mentees last year and have seen the program evolution) and the other towards the class of 2016 (current mentees). I separated them to remember to vary the surveys slightly since 2015 has seen the growth of the program first hand.

Action Research Plan

Action Planning Template
Goal: to increase academy retention rate between 9th grade and 10th grade
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Evaluate selection rubric and redesign it so that is less focused on Texas standardized scores	Myself	Oct. 2012-Jan 6 2013	Academy Advisory council and all Academy ELA teachers, student test scores, student achievement data in the form of class grades, access to D2SC/PCG data, other district academy coordinators	To test newly developed rubrics, students who are known to be successful, average, and unsuccessful will be evaluated on it to see if it produces desired results
Gather and analyze data on success of mentor/mentee program in providing students with a sense of community (current 9th graders)	Classroom teachers to implement the survey	Dec. 2012	Satisfaction survey, 10 minutes of classroom time, Perhaps a computer lab to make the survey digital so it is easier to compile data	Student survey data—measure trends and feedback
Gather and analyze data on perceived improvements of mentor/mentee program in providing students with a sense of community (current 10th graders)	Classroom teachers to implement the survey	Dec. 2012	Satisfaction survey, 10 minutes of classroom time, Perhaps a computer lab to make the survey digital so it is easier to compile data	Student survey data—measure trends and feedback
Student and Parent Exit Interviews	Myself, Academy counselor, or academy administrator	Oct. 2012-June 20, 2013	Academy satisfaction survey, 10 minute interview time, collaboration with the registrar for check-out purposes	Compile data and look for similarities between groups and reasons that are within my control to influence and change
Student and Parent Exit Interviews of students who have already left	Myself, Academy counselor, or academy administrator Current HS counselor or language teacher	Oct. 2012-Feb. 2013	Academy satisfaction survey, 10 minute phone interview time, collaboration with the current campuses	Compile data and look for similarities between groups and reasons that are within my control to influence and change
Evaluate student academic success in required honors classes of ELA and SS in the 9th and 10th grade	Classroom teachers and myself	Oct. 2012-June 2013	Access to gradebooks and EOC scores, teacher feedback form on students and skill levels	See if standardized test scores are indicative of student grade in class. Find common skill level deficiencies and decide they are a factor in students leaving the academy
Active Academy Research—study programs in place at other academies nationwide to see their results	Myself	Dec. 2012-July 2013	List of similar academies, contacts for each, way to map data	Compile list of programs used and measure success of each academy. Compare student populations and funding
Compile data on students entering for 2013-2014 school year	Myself, registrar	Aug. 2013	Student registration list	See if the % of students has increased
Present findings to the Academy Advisory committee, the district coordinator, the board if necessary	Myself	Aug. 2013	Academy meetings, board meetings

Gearing up for Action Research!

As I finalize my action research plans, I worry:  will I have the time—am I even willing to make it?  Have I thought about all the ways to gather data?  Do I even know how to put the data into a readable format that will help me and the advisory board draw conclusions?  My topic, increasing academy retention, is of high value to me, so I think I will find the time.  But will it even matter?  Will it help me change things to make it better?  From what I am reading, I have to say yes, but we have only read success stories—what about those that didn’t succeed?  What did they do wrong?  I want to know what not to do as well as what to do.  This week I have learned that action research is widely practiced and valued in education.  I had heard about it before but had never given it much thought or reflected on its benefits.  I hope, as do the objectives of this course, that I become an effective action researcher and can make it part of my daily practices so that I can continually better my practices. (By the way...I don't like blogging even though I realize its benefits...I feel like someone is reading my diary so it does not come naturally to me—hopefully this course will help with that as well.)

Why use blogs?

Educational leaders can use blogs for various purposes.  First and foremost, blogs can be used to form a professional learning community.  It is an avenue to collaborate with educators from all over the globe.  Blogs can bring the world to our fingertips.  In addition to professional learning and growth, educators can use blogs with their students.  In a blog you can expand your face-to-face in-class discussions outside of the classroom.  You can carry out ongoing debates and research topics.  You can have an open forum for students to share ideas where time is not limited and cut-off by bells.  In foreign language and globally focuses courses, students can pair up with others from around the world to share new information and first-hand experiences.  

What is Action Research and how can we use it?

Action research can be defined loosely defined as a process of reflection on one’s own practices to bring about change.  As referred to in the Dana text (2009) as administrator inquiry, it is defined more specifically as “the process of a principal engaging in systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry” (p. 2).  To understand this definition further, we must delve into the practices of administrator inquiry or action research with more detail.  A practice of paramount importance in administrator inquiry is reflection.  Reflection is necessary to identify the problem/concern, gain insight, and develop new practices.  Reflection is perhaps the main component of administrator inquiry that sets it aside from traditional educational research.  In addition to reflection, administrator inquiry requires one to collaborate with peers and other stakeholders within the educational setting.  Through reflection and collaboration, those involved in the process of administrator inquiry are able to examine relevant problems/issues that pertain to their specific context or educational setting.  As a result of collaboration, consistent reflection techniques, and the relevancy of the problem at hand, educators are likely to have more buy-in to new practices introduced as a result of administrator inquiry. 

What can we use administrator inquiry or action research for?  The answer:  Countless things!  It can be applied in the development of policies and procedures for the campus employee handbook.  It can be applied to improve student achievement and instructional strategies.  It can be used as a way to build professional relationships while simultaneously resolving an issue.  Teachers may want to examine strategies for critical thinking.  Campuses may want to investigate how they can boost school spirit and student involvement in extra-curricular activities. Whatever you as an educator “wonder” about, chances are you can apply action research.  The key is making time and accurately defining your research question.  Train yourself to reflect and make time for collaboration.  Perhaps I will use action research to discover how I can expand my consortium of professional resources. 

Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge, the principal as action researcher. Corwin Press.