I used Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template to format my inquiry.

Goal: My goal is to evaluate the effects of recess time in an elementary school setting.

Action Step(s):
I will document student testing scores and compare them as the year progresses. I will Evaluate whether providing recess time actually decreases student referrals and increases student learning.

Person(s) Responsible:
I will be the person responsible for this action research project with the help of the administration team.

Timeline Start/End:
August 2010=
*Administer math and reading pretests to all third through fifth grade students.
*Document results.
*Document the number of referrals given the prior year at the same time of year.
*Began implementation of recess time for sample group.
*Provide survey to students in reference to recess time.
*Provide survey to teachers in reference to recess time.
September/October 2010:
*Administer first benchmark and document results.
*Compare test results to pretests and document any changes.
*Provide survey to students about recess time.
*Provide survey to teachers about the effects of recess time in the classroom.
*Are there any improvements in behavior or in academics?
December 2010:
*Administer second benchmark and document results.
*Compare test results with prior tests. Are there any improvements?
*Survey students.
*Survey teachers.
*Document all findings.

Needed Resources:
*2009-2010 TAKS scores for thrid through fifth grade students.
*Results for pretests administered in August 2010.
*Review referrals given during 2009-2010 school year.
*Create spreadsheets for documentation purposes.
*Create surveys for students.
*Create surveys for teachers.
*Research articles/journals.
*Benchmark results.

Evaluation:
I will evaluate if recess time actually improved student behavior compared to last year. Also, I will evaluate if there was an increase in student benchmark scores, as well as student attitude in the classroom. If scores demonstrate improvement, and there are less referrals given, then recess does have a possitive impact on student learning and on student behavior.

Week Two Reflection

As I was reading the required readings for this week, I realized that schools around the country share very similar experiences. It might be issues with staff development, curriculum, school culture, teachers needs, students needs, management and so on. The bottom line is, like Dr. Johnny Briseno states on his interview, when confronted with an issue at your school, research about it before making a decision or before over-worrying. Research it, become familiar with it, and maybe, someone else already solved an issue similar to yours and solution could be applied to your campus. Why reinvent the wheel.

My Action Research

I have decided that I would like to do my project on the benefits of recess. This is a big issue at our campus because recess is not considered important to a big part of our teaching community. I think that students could benefit from recess time in many different ways. Its a time to socialize and interact with other kids their age. Students are not allowed to talk inside the classroom freely, they can't talk during lunch time, then when can they do it? I would like to investigate the pros and cons of recess and then develop a plan for my school so that recess time can be incorporated into our daily or weekly schedules. We'll see what research tells us.

Marilu's action research: How can educational leaders use blogs?

Marilu's action research: How can educational leaders use blogs?: "Well, this is the first time I create something like this. But I can see how this can be used at our campus. Leaders can create this type ..."

How can educational leaders use blogs?

Well, this is the first time I create something like this. But I can see how this can be used at our campus. Leaders can create this type of system to communicate with specific groups of teachers or with all teachers. Discussions can take place and valuable input can arise from it. Issues can be addressed as well. So yes, I do think that this could be a valuable instrument that can be implemented by school leaders. They can also be able to communicate with parents and students.

What I have learned about action research?

Through our readings we learned that there were several kinds of research methods. We have the traditional educational research method and the action research method. I learned that the traditional is conducted by people that are not directly linked to the classroom. This type of research is conducted by "outside experts". In the contrary, action research is conducted by principals directly linked to the classrooms and to the issues that arise on an individual campus.
Action research is a great process for a principal to engage on issues that pertain specifically to her/his campus. This type of research helps principals engage in what is happening around their own campus and promotes interventions designed to help them overcome those issues. By utilizing this type of research principals become more familiarized with matters that are specific to their school. They are able to resolve issues through the implementation of targeted strategies. This type of research also requires a process. First, we have to identify an issue of concern. Then, you review the data and/or literature that supports the issue. Then you take action by implementing the information gathered. The last step is the sharing of the findings. This information is shared with all stakeholders if needed.

Principals don't have to work alone on these issues that are affecting the campus. Through the readings we learned that principals can work with leadership teams within the campus or with other principals as well. One critical issue that doesn't allow principals to feel comfortable with this type of research, is the issue of time. We also learned several ways in which we can manage our time in order to include this action research that will provide us with powerful information about our campus that, in tern, will increase student achievement.