Update

Action Research Plan

Increasing teacher happiness and staff camaraderie thus leading to more relevant and rigorous lessons from teachers

             At my school we have had higher teacher turn-over rate than one would expect.  Over the last three years our turnover  rate has been between 25 to 30 percent.  Other schools in my district as well as comparable schools surrounding our area have had a significantly lower turnover rate in the same amount of time.  Our human resources department has reported to our campus administration that many of our exit surveys have reported that teachers left due to current working conditions.  After choosing this as my action research project, I conducted an anonymous electronic survey with current staff members to identify specific needs in regards to current working conditions and school climate.   Through the surveys, teachers expressed concerns with not having common planning periods, meetings such as ARDs and testing procedures being planned during a teacher’s conference, inconsistent discipline from assistant principals,  low staff camaraderie, and lack of positive feedback to faculty members.  After reviewing the survey results the vision for my action research project includes working with the master schedule and the administrative team to ensure as many core subject teachers as possible have common planning periods; ensuring teacher’s conferences are not being taken with meetings and that we are in compliance with laws regarding teacher planning periods; meeting with the principal about teachers’ concerns of discipline in hopes of her meeting with assistant principals in regards to following all discipline referrals in a consistent manner; and developing organizations at school for boosting teacher morale as well as an organization that promotes school spirit.  “Administrator support is essential, not only in allowing time to initiate an inquiry, but also in developing in teachers necessary inquiry skills to pinpoint the issue to address” (Ringler, 2007, p.28).  The building principal , assistant principals, campus faculty who participated in survey, and the SBDM committee were involved in the decision making process.  The principal gave permission to me to conduct this project and the survey based upon the information given from HR.  Once the survey was completed by the faculty, I reviewed the results and my vision with the building principal.  My principal provided feedback and suggestions for my project and gave final approval for the actions of the project.  I presented the data collected from the needs assessment and survey to our campus administration, SBDM committee, and faculty.  I presented my plan of action and laid out the action steps with a timeline in accordance with my vision.  I also asked faculty members to volunteer for our new committees and organizations that are going to be formed to improve staff climate.   Once organizations were created, the committees elected a chairperson to organize and run meetings as well as treasurer to handle all monies collected.  Student achievement will be increased by teachers having common planning periods to create more effective lessons and share lesson delivery strategies.  Also, with the teachers being happy about staff climate, their performance will be better in the classroom.  Teachers will want to show up at work which will increase teacher attendance.  All students whether exceptionally gifted or having special needs will benefit from happy teachers.

 

Ringler, Marjorie C. EdD. (2007).  AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice: Action  

         Research an Effective Instructional Leadership Skill for Future Public School Leaders. 

         Vol. 4, no. 1. 27-37.

Action Research Update

I identified an action research plan of how improving faculty climate and camaraderie can lead to more relevant, rigorous, and relationship-based lessons from teachers.   Having the table where action steps had to be created, who was responsible for the steps, the timeline of the steps, identifying the needed resources, and evaluating the steps was a great tool for helping me construct my action research plan.  The eight steps to follow when conducting action research was what I found to be the most beneficial.  Knowing that I had to examine the work, analyze data, develop deeper understanding, engage in self-reflection, explore programmatic patterns, determine direction, take action for school improvement, and sustain improvement led me to put high amounts of thought and effort into my plan.  So far I have been able to survey our faculty over school climate and camaraderie, create a climate committee with at least one member from every department as well as para professionals, analyze the surveys with the climate committee, and form an action plan with the committee to increase staff camaraderie.  So far we have had two great programs implemented to increase staff morale and camaraderie.  The first group formed is the bleacher creatures.  It is a group of faculty members who meet for a dinner and go to athletic games and sit together.  They have several fun chants and cheers they perform and get dressed up for the game.  The fellowship amongst them has brought the staff together but more importantly, the students really enjoy the support.  The second implementation that has been made is our sunshine club.  Members pay a small fee to join the club for the year.  The club funds are used to send cards and flowers to staff members for births, deaths, family tragedies, and also sponsors the staff Christmas Party.  The club also has socials on Friday.  Having the support of your staff when something tragic happens and also having the special recognition on your birthday really brings our adults together.  With the implementation of these new programs, we are in the process of letting them run their course and we look to re-evaluate the staff with the same survey and allow suggestions for improving staff camaraderie. 

Revised Action Research Plan

Changes made to my action research plan following my site supervisor meeting and reviewing my peers’ comments are underlined.

Action Research Plan

Increasing teacher morale and staff camaraderie thus leading to more relevant, rigorous, and relationship-based lessons from teachers

Setting the Foundation- After speaking with several faculty members throughout the course of this school year about staff climate and faculty camaraderie, I believe our school needs improvement in this area.  Improving our staff climate will make teachers happy about being at work and feel a sense of value, thus improving their performance in the classroom and leading to increased academic success.

Analyzing the Data- In a school population with a high percentage of students classified as low socio-economic status, these young people need a teacher who will serve as an advocate who truly cares about the student.  In order for teachers to give students their total commitment, the teachers must feel the same commitment from the administration.  Observing data collected from our faculty through a survey could help implement a plan to improve school climate and faculty participation and camaraderie. 

Developing Deeper Understanding- Faculty Morale is the most important aspect of any school.  Teachers are the most influential positions at schools, since they have the most contact and immediate positive or negative responses for students.  In order for our teachers to be the immediate positive response to our students, they must be happy with work.  In order for teachers to feel happy about work they need to know their opinions are valued, have a sense of voice in the school, and need to feel part of a team, i.e. staff camaraderie, rather than an individual being thrown to the lion’s den.  Teachers are compassionate beings or they would not have chosen this field.  Being compassionate can also lead to someone who is easily defeated if not properly taken care of, so it is of the utmost importance that staff climate is highly focused on by school administration.

Engaging in Self-Reflection- Who can serve as positive role models for young people who do not have a support system at home?  How can teachers serve as this role model if they do not feel a sense of happiness about their job?  What can I do to ensure that teachers, paraprofessionals, and administration foster a sense of faculty camaraderie and positive school climate to ensure students are getting the best possible environment for academic success?

Exploring Programmatic Patterns- After meeting with my site supervisor she and I both agreed that the action research that would be most beneficial to our school would be - How can our administration keep teachers happy and develop a sense of faculty camaraderie? Teachers are the backbone of every school.  They have the most immediate influence over students.  When teachers feel wanted and have a sense of ownership in the school, they will be more productive and provide more meaningful instruction.  This will ultimately give our students the opportunity to achieve at a high level.

Determining Direction- I will create and conduct a staff survey for all non-administrative faculty members questioning various aspects of school climate and faculty participation and camaraderie. Second, I will help create a climate committee with at least one member of each curriculum team (Math, Science, Social Studies, ELA, LOTE, CTE, Fine Arts, Health/PE, SPED) and instructional and office Para-professionals.  Members will be nominated by their respected team but will not include current department chairs to allow teachers who normally do not have a voice in meetings to participate.

Taking Action for School Improvement- The newly formed committee will analyze the data from the staff surveys and discuss the positives, negatives, and suggestions the survey provided and what possible trends we see in the survey. The committee will brainstorm ideas for improvement and collaboratively form a plan of action to present to administration to effectively enhance school climate and staff participation. Administration will evaluate and make additions or subtractions to the recommendation before implementation.

Sustain Improvement- After implementation of activities to increase camaraderie and school climate for the remainder of the year, I will re-evaluate the staff with the same survey to see if the new data about staff climate has changed from the previous survey.  Once we see teacher morale and camaraderie has increased we will look at student data to see the improvement in achievement.  Teacher in-services that promote teamwork, such as ropes courses and races, will become part of our beginning of the year procedures.  Also, we will implement a faculty reward and recognition system.  Finally, I will incorporate Force Field Analysis, the Delphi Method, and Nominal Group Techniques as tools to sustain improvement and to determine what areas need to be addressed.

Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template

Goal: To help our campus administration foster a sense of staff camaraderie and maintain faculty happiness by allowing faculty to provide input and insights on what they believe will make our school climate better.

Action Step(s)  Person(s) Responsible   Timeline:   Needed Resources Evaluation

                                                                    Start/End

1. Create a staff survey questioning various aspects of school climate and faculty participation and camaraderie.	J. L. Dale	March-April 2012	All non-administrative faculty members, survey forms generated from survey monkey website	Make sure all non-administrative faculty members have been contacted and given plenty of time to complete the survey
2. Create a climate committee with at least one member of each curriculum team (Math, Science, Social Studies, ELA, LOTE, CTE, Fine Arts, Health/PE, SPED) and instructional and office para-professionals.  Members will be nominated by their respected team but will not include current department chairs to allow teachers who normally do not have a voice in meetings to participate.	J. L. Dale	March-April 2012	Faculty members selected from each content area along with instructional and office Para-professionals	Make sure all department chairs have been contacted and informed about making their nomination for the climate committee at their next department meeting
3. The newly formed committee will analyze the data from the staff surveys.	Newly formed climate committee	March-April 2012	Meeting area large enough for committee to have an open meeting, completed surveys	Discuss the positives, negatives, and suggestions the survey provided and what possible trends we see in the survey. Committee homework will be brainstorm ideas for improvement to discuss at next meeting
4.  The committee will meet to collaboratively form a plan of action to present to administration to effectively enhance school climate and staff participation.	Climate Committee	March-April 2012	Open meeting area with writing board to note the brainstormed ideas.  Volunteer from committee to serve as the reporter compiling all pertinent information	Evaluate all possible ideas for improving campus climate and camaraderie.
5.  The administrative staff will evaluate the committee’s recommendations for possible implementation.	Administrative Staff	March-April 2012	Detailed plan of action from committee to present to administrative staff.	Administration will evaluate and make additions or subtractions to the recommendation
6. Implementation of activities to increase camaraderie and school climate for the remainder of the year.  At the end of the year conduct the same survey to see if data has changed.	Campus Faculty	March-June 2012	All faculty members	After implementation and an allotted time for new activities to take place, re-evaluate the staff with the same survey.
7. Sustain Improvement by using the Force Field Analysis, Delphi Method, and Nominal Group Technique to identify any necessary changes.	Campus Faculty	Present- Completion of 2013 school year	All faculty members	Constantly evaluate the comments and suggestions from the faculty regarding morale and camaraderie to see if any changes are needed

Action Research Plan

Action Research Plan

Increasing teacher happiness and staff camaraderie thus leading to more relevant and rigorous lessons from teachers

Setting the Foundation-  After speaking with several faculty members throughout the course of this school year about staff climate and faculty camaraderie, I believe our school needs improvement in this area.  Improving our staff climate will make teachers happy about being at work and feel a sense of value, thus improving their performance in the classroom and leading to increased academic success.

Analyzing the Data-  In a school population with a high percentage of students classified as low socio-economic status, these young people need a teacher who will serve as an advocate who truly cares about the student.  In order for a teachers to give students their total commitment, the teachers must feel the same commitment from the administration.  Observing data collected from our faculty through a survey could help implement a plan to improve school climate and faculty participation and camaraderie. 

Developing Deeper Understanding-  Teacher happiness is the most important aspect of any school.  Teachers are the most influential positions at schools, since they have the most contact and immediate positive or negative responses for students.  In order for our teachers to be the immediate positive response to our students, they must be happy with work.  In order for teachers to feel happy about work they need to know their opinions are valued, have a sense of voice in the school, and need to feel part of a team, i.e. staff camaraderie, rather than an individual being thrown to the lion’s den.  Teachers are compassionate being or they would not have chosen this field.  Being compassionate can also lead to someone who is easily defeated if not properly taken care of, so it is of the utmost importance that staff climate is highly focused on by school administration.

Engaging in Self-Reflection-  Who can serve as positive role models for young people who do not have a support system at home?  How can teachers serve as this role model if they do not feel a sense of happiness about their job?  What can I do to ensure that teachers, paraprofessionals, and administration foster a sense of faculty camaraderie and positive school climate to ensure students are getting the best possible environment for academic success?

Exploring Programmatic Patterns- After meeting with my site supervisor she and I both agreed that the action research that would be most beneficial to our school would be - How can our administration keep teachers happy and develop a sense of faculty camaraderie? Teachers are the backbone of every school.  They have the most immediate influence over students.  When teachers feel wanted and have a sense of ownership in the school, they will be more productive and provide more meaningful instruction.  This will ultimately give our students the opportunity to achieve at a high level.

Determining Direction-  I will create and conduct a staff survey for all non-administrative faculty members questioning various aspects of school climate and faculty participation and camaraderie. Second, I will help create a climate committee with at least one member of each curriculum team (Math, Science, Social Studies, ELA, LOTE, CTE, Fine Arts, Health/PE, SPED) and instructional and office Para-professionals.  Members will be nominated by their respected team but will not include current department chairs to allow teachers who normally do not have a voice in meetings to participate.

Taking Action for School Improvement- The newly formed committee will analyze the data from the staff surveys and discuss the positives, negatives, and suggestions the survey provided and what possible trends we see in the survey. The committee will brainstorm ideas for improvement  and collaboratively form a plan of action to present to administration to effectively enhance school climate and staff participation. Administration will evaluate and make additions or subtractions to the recommendation before implementation.

Sustain Improvement-  After implementation of activities to increase camaraderie and school climate for the remainder of the year,  I will re-evaluate the staff with the same survey to see if the new data about staff climate has changed from the previous survey.  Once we see teacher morale and camaraderie has increased we will look at student data to see the improvement in achievement.

What I Learned about Action Research-Week2

Week 2 provided much more information on action research.  The purpose of the action research project is focused, reasonable, ethical, and should clearly tell you what you will look at or do.  When conducting action research there are specific ideals to follow.  First and foremost, your action research must be data driven.  Secondly, your focus should be on the future thinking about how you will do the research and who it will affect.

From Dr. Chargois, I learned how conducting action research is important in the field of education, and that professionals never stop growing and must use data to impact instruction.  The individuals conducting the research must always keep student performance in mind.  Quality data driven instruction will increase student performance.  From Dr. Lewis, I learned that the research must be practical to the researcher’s environment.  Since the researcher is invested he/she will be focused and interested, ultimately leading to student understanding and achievement.  The data collected and analyzed should be used to change how instruction is delivered.

What I Learned about Action Research

Educational leaders must make action research a part of the day to day operation of the school.  Action research can be very time-consuming and administrators must make a commitment to making it part of the organization.  Action research differs from traditional research in that the research is done by individuals who are part of the organization and are affected by what is going on.  Action research does not entrust outside personnel to complete the inquiry.  Action research collects and analyzes data to bring about a change in procedures and shares the findings with stakeholders.  Through action research, the administrator is given the opportunity to work collaboratively with teachers, to grow as a professional leader and serve as a role-model, to reflect on what practices and procedures are making the school run effectively and eliminate ineffective practices, and to provide administrative support as other faculty members are involved in the inquiry process.

In a very technologically advanced society, blogs can serve as an excellent communication method for educational leaders to share information with faculty, students, and parents.   Teachers can use blogs to collaborate and share information with other teachers in their core content as well as share pertinent information with the students and their parents.  Constant communication between administrators, faculty, student, and parents will lead to a more organized well-functioning school.