What action research has taught me....

What I have learned about action research is this. That it needs to be done not just by principals but by teachers as well. If the whole school is on board with the idea then you as the administrator are going to have better results on the state mandated tests as well as the district tests.

If teachers are doing the research within their own classrooms as far as what needs to be done to help the students in their and then applying what they have found into practice then their individual scores will be going up. They may still not be up to passing but the key is adding value to the students.

The principals need to be able to do the action research for the whole campus. What needs to be fixed, what is working, what needs to be thrown out and just start over, is there staff changes that need to be made, are their curriculum issues that need to be fixed. These should be looked at not only by the principal but also the leadership team and the teachers themselves.

Once they have done this then they can get down to the brass tack ticks and fix what needs to be fixed, find what is working and have other staff members observe, and meet with district personnel and see what needs to be fixed in the curriculum.

Being able to do this and lead it is very important when it comes to being a principal. If your staff members do not see you doing this then why would they take upon themselves to do it in their own classrooms. As a principal you want everyone on the same page. You are all there for the same reason: to better the future of the students that walk through your doors every day.