Reflection from video interview with school principal

I had the opportunity to watch some short videos with some school leaders.  The first interview was very interesting to me and included Dr. Johnny Briseno, Principal at Rancho Isabella Elementary in Angleton ISD.  Dr.Briseno stated that they don’t make any decisions without looking first at the data and the main source from which this problem is created.  They look at the list of students that failed and analyze each one of them to see what could have caused for the student to fail, including issues at home, school, or others.  The same teachers identify the students and get data from system to fully understand the problem and share with other future grades teachers so that they are aware of individual situations.  The teachers also inform other future teachers about these students on how they are and what teaching methods work for the group and individually.  At the end, Mr. Briseno suggested to search on the internet for related issues to find possible solutions to the problem that is front of you.

After watching Mr. Briseno’s video, I mainly take and grasp that at any problem presented to do the following steps:
 

1.  Don’t jump into decision makings right away.

2.  Look at the data first and find out the root to the problem.

3.  Find solutions to the causes of the problem.

4.  Teachers inform other future teachers to simplify the students learning process and understand the students, too.

5.  Use internet as a guide for any problem or situation presented and search for possible positive implementations to solve the problem.

 

Introduction to Action Research

July 20, 2013

Introduction to Action Research

ACTION RESEARCH
The notion of principal inquiry is adapted from the work on teacher action research (see for example, Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, 2008, 2009; Zeichner, 2003; Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993, 1999, 2001).  Action research is a method of decision making that is interactive.  Educator or Principal, in this case, gathers information from several sources, such as, teachers, students, community, related books, and self-learned knowledge.  Then, he/she applies own personal changes to the process in place to achieve the desire outcome or goal.  It is a “hands on” decision making process that is monitored all along and modifications are implemented using personal and gathered data.
Action research has been defined as a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a "community of practice" to improve the way they address issues and solve problems (Wendell L French; Cecil Bell (1973). “Action research” by Carr and Kemmis (1986), this approach to educational research has many benefits:  (1) theories and knowledge are generated from research grounded in the realities of educational practice, (2) practitioners become collaborators in educational research by investigating their own problems, and (3) practitioners play a part in the research process, which makes them more likely to facilitate change based on the knowledge they generate.  The principal makes the decision and implementations, but everyone involved is accountable and responsible for the level of achievement at  the end.



References
Carr, W., & Kemmis, S. (1986). Becoming criticat: Knowing through action research. Geelong,
      Australia: Deakin University Press.
Cochran-Smith, M., &Lytle, S. L. (1993). Inside/outside:  Teacher research and knowledge. New York:
      Teachers College Press.
Cochran-Smith, M., &Lytle, S. L. (1999). The teacher research movement: A decade later. Educational  
      Researcher, 28(7), 15-25.
Cochran-Smith, M., &Lytle, S. L. (2001). Beyond certainty:  Taking an inquiry stance on practice.  In A.
      Lieberman & L. Miller (Eds.), Teachers caught in the action:  Professional development that
      matters (pp. 45-58). New York:  Teachers College Press.
Dana, N. F., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2008).  The reflective educator's guide to professional development:           Coaching inquiry-oriented learning communities.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. pp. 3.
Dana, N. F., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2009).  The reflective educator's guide to classroom research:
      Learning to teach and teaching to learn through practitioner inquiry (2nd ed).  Thousand Oaks, CA:
      Corwin. pp. 3.
Wendell L French; Cecil Bell (1973). Organization development: behavioral science interventions for
      organization improvement. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. pp. 18.
Zeichner, K. (2003). Teacher research as professional development for P-12 educators in the USA.
      Educational Action Research, 2(2), 301-326.

Use of Blogs by Educational Leaders

After reading and understanding the purpose of blogs It made me realize of their importance for educational leaders.  In this centralized web forum, any educational leader can find information about any topic that they are searching on.  Principals can share and gather information to use in their campus regardless where any of them are located.  This is a good tool for leaders to consider as a reference and to keep up with new trends around the country and beyond.