Action Research Plan

Goal: Improve homework policies and practices at Tivy High School, lowering the overall student failure rate.

Action Steps
1. Analyze past failure rates and current campus homework policy
2. Create and conduct student survey to gather student input on homework policies and procedures
3. Create teacher homework blog for parental and student access. Parents and students will be able to see, in real-time, the current homework assignment(s).
4. Create staff development that enables teachers to better create appropriate homework assignments that will lead to student achievement.
5.Research and determine best recommendations for campus homework policy.

Persons Responsible
1.Austin Clarkson
2.Austin Clarkson
3.I will train the English Dept. to test out this process.
4.I will collaborate and research with our Dean of Curriculum to create staff development.
5.Austin Clarkson / Campus Improvement Team

Timeline: Start/End
1.completed
2.Start creating survey August 2010; conduct survey September 2010.
3.Fall 2010 – end of school year
4.Research and creation of staff development during the Fall semester of 2010. Presentation to faculty at the beginning of 2011.
5.Conduct research during Fall semester. Make recommendations in the Spring to CIT to possibly be implemented the following school year.

Needed Resources
1.Failure rates
Campus homework policy
2.Campus homework policy
3.Edublogs.org and teacher computers
4.stophomework.com
The Battle Over Homework by Harris Cooper
mrwaxlersclass.com
5.“The Truth About Homework” by Alfie Kohn
“Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement?” by Harris Cooper
educationalissues.suite101.com
The Battle Over Homework by Harris Cooper




Evaluation
1.I’ve evaluated the connection between homework and failure rates through teacher and student interviews.
2.Qualitative evaluation based on student feedback.
3.Informal assessment and dialogue will occur during dept. meetings in order to address concerns and make improvements. Formal teacher evaluation will be done at the end of the school year.
4.Immediately following staff development presentation, each teacher will fill out a formal evaluation.
5.Look at failure rates in 2011-2012 school year and compare to failure rates of previous homework policy. Also, teacher and student interviews will provide valuable insight.

Week 2 of Research. The part of the lesson that sticks out to me was the 9 topics of action research. Each item seemed more important than the last, and I was left a bit taken back by the unbelievable challenge of education leadership. Being able to multi-task may be the most important skill of an administrator. Action research takes time and there is only so much in the day. I guess we prioritize and do the best we can. I have a new appreciation for the job!

Educational leaders can use blogs to communicate with other educational leaders. This gives them a real time ability to communicate and listen to others about their shared and unique challenges. From informal venting to formal analysis a blog is a great way to connect.

The cool thing about action research is that it leads to something tangible, something kinetic. You don't give a professorial speech sharing your incites and findings or write a reflective treatise on your amazing discoveries. You take action - action that directly effects your world. The proximity of the practitioner to the problem is paramount to the success of action research. Too often, leaders and scholars dictate policy and implement change from afar based on good research and ideas, while lacking knowledge and first hand experience with the actual environment and local intricacies. Another important aspect of administrative inquiry is its cyclical nature which encourages constant investigation and growth. Stasis is the enemy of the educator because new challenges are always on the horizon. I hope to make this process part of my everyday approach as an educator. Specifically, my first investigation will deal with homework policy. My campus is considering a change in homework policy as a response to increased failure rates and the potential for decreased graduation rates in the context of the four by four graduation requirements. Our leadership and faculty are all over the map in their ideas and beliefs concerning homework. I hope to discover how other successful campuses are addressing this issue, but I would also like to research the benefits and/or detriments of homework in general.