Am I Learning?

I have found that with each course comes a new adventure.  I love the challenge that each week brings.  I have had a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my administrators and learn from them.  As I move more through this program I have found that my confidence in my ability to be an administrator grows.  I have learned more in the past 4 classes than I ever imagined I would.  In addition, I have gained beneficial learning experiences that will be invaluable as I move forward.

Waiting...Waiting...Waiting

I have moved on to a new class but I am still trying to keep my action research project on my radar.  I want to have my project completed by the end of this school year!  It is moving along, slowly, but moving.  The team I am working with is great...each one plays a role and does their part.  It's just waiting to piece it all together that seems to take forever.  We have practiced a fire drill from an assembly (went well) and we have tried the lockdown procedures on the campus.  I think overall there were some learning opportunities but both went well. 

Reflection for Action Research....

Initially I was not sure what this course would offer.  The word “research” made me cringe initially.  However, as I began this course I quickly realized this was an inquiry based course that would offer me a great deal of benefit.  It was not going to be me spending countless hours doing searches and piecing together other individuals work. 

Action Research Link

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The Action Research Plan Outline

Setting the Foundation:  A few years ago, my campus experienced an emergency situation which required the evacuation of the school and student’s/staff were bused to other locations.  Since that time due to attrition many of the personnel including the principal are no longer at my campus.  The new administration, based off of campus feedback and need has determined that the current emergency procedures need to be reviewed, updated and new training and follow up need to occur. Analyzing Data:  The use of electronic searches should yield information regarding emergency situations at schools and should provide data that might include how often emergency situations occur.  In addition, local district data can be requested to determine what types of situations the campuses in the district deal with, the outcome and the policies and place. Developing Deeper Understanding:  Conducting interviews with teachers that have been at the campus for longer periods of time.  In addition to meeting with the district personnel, meetings with the fire department and police department will provide insight into what expectations are realistic and what should/should not be included in the plan. Engaging in Self-Reflection:  In the last two weeks several things have come into play in regards to the action research. What key personnel should be involved in the process of updating the emergency plans? What role does the goal team and administration play in ongoing training of the emergency procedures and how often? What emergencies should be included in the flip charts and should they be color and/or picture coded? How often should drills be practiced? Who is responsible ongoing for the maintenance of the emergency plans as things changes? What is the most important task to conquer at this point and what things can be added after the fact?  Meaning tornado, fire drills, lock downs should all be at the forefront of the project while airplanes crashing into the campus could be addressed toward the end.  Basically the need for prioritizing. Exploring Programmatic Patterns:  After several meetings with my principal, the determination was made that we will move forward with updating what is currently on file.  We will have the fire department come out and follow up with the police department for anything additional we need.  We will incorporate all of the district changes into our plan and make sure the “master bag” is completed and up to date.  Training will take place with and without warning.  Feedback from the teachers by anonymous survey will hopefully bring to light and concerns or areas that teachers still feel the goal team needs to address. Determining Direction:  This project is already in progress.  The goal team has been formed, all parties have an active role.  The assessment piece will be updated as we go.  Each time a milestone is met, the goal team will meet to assess feedback and any new data received.  The timeframe is ongoing with the hopes of having the training completed prior to the end of the year.  The mock drills will begin in December as long as the fire department is available. Taking Action for School Improvement:  The action planning template has been completed with all identified steps at this time.  As always it’s a working template and will be updated as necessary if timelines and/or objectives are added or changed. Sustaining Improvement:  The end goal is to improve our campus emergency plan and improve the overall feeling to where teachers/staff feel prepared and well trained.  The goal is to assess, survey and adjust to meet the needs of the campus and to share the feedback with the campus as a whole as well as the district personnel if necessary.

Week 2

This week I learned not to re-create the wheel.  The best thing to do in action research is to see what is already out there and how it applies to you.  The readings offered a lot of great inquiry ideas and suggestions to keep in mind going forward in the process to be an administrator.  Always thinking ahead and incorporating others into the process as you go to get the best results.

Benefits of Blogging

Blogging is a great way for educational leaders to share thougths and ideas as they occur.  Blogging creates a support network with others who can offer insight and suggestions.  It is also a way to get your knowledge and experiences out there to share with others who may benefits from what you have to say.