Week 1 - What is Action Research?

Action research is an exciting process.  Before this class I was familiar with the process of this, but unaware about the theories behind it.  My school district uses the Baldridge System of continuous improvement.  At first this system was a hard sale, but over the course of the last two years it has improved the attitude of everyone involved.  We all feel we have a part in the decision making and of our own destiny.   Action research adds a dynamic to any work environment.  The culture it creates in a school district gives a system of empowerment to all of the stakeholders involved.  Students love to acknowledge whether the lesson was effective and teaching them the objective.  They feel they have the power to choose how they learn.  As a teacher you love getting that information back from the students.  It allows you to step back and reflect on things you did wrong and things that are on the cusp of being a great and effective lesson tool.  Administrators use it to find the holes within the schools and how they can effectively gear their stakeholders to make a plan that creates a healthy decision for the better of the whole.   I think a healthy culture in a school district involves constant action research and transparent communication from administrators all the way down to the students. 

Blogs can be used by educational leaders in order to create a pathway for discussion on current topics of concern.  All stakeholders can view this and see what is affecting the health of the district and become educated on what they can do to improve it.  It would also create a transparent culture that creates everyone’s views valid.