Action Planning Template
Goal: To provide support for new teachers as they develop their craft to become proficient and/or exemplary in their instructional planning and delivery of lessons to their students. Also, to support them to the place where they would possibly become mentors to other new teachers.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1. Discuss action research topics with principal (Monica Marquez)	Myself (Deborah Washington)and principal (Monica Marquez)	4/18/2013	Intern Plan Data to show years of service for teachers.	N/A
2. Meet with CILT to inform them of their roles in this action research project. We will also develop a questionnaire to distribute to the new teachers.	Myself, CILT (Roberto Gonzales, Danielle Duffy, Reymundo Cervantes, Ashley Haddad) and New Teacher Mentor Coordinator (Kymla Williams)	5/1-13/2013	Questionnaire created with Google Forms	Developed questionnaire
3. Meet with new teachers and CILT to provide an overview of the action research and to complete a questionnaire to target strengths, weaknesses, concerns and expectations.	Myself and CILT (Campus Instructional Leadership Team)	5/20/2013	Questionnaire	Evaluate data to assess the needs, concerns and the expectations of the group. (Spreadsheet of answers, graph results)
4. Develop sessions, trainings, and/or staff developments to meet the needs of the new teachers based on the data collected from the questionnaire, prior SPOT Observations, Staff Developments and Feedback.	Myself and CILT	May-Sept. 2013	SPOT Observation Data, Staff Development Data, Feedback Data	Match the needs from the questionnaires with sessions, trainings or staff development.
5. Implement sessions, staff developments or trainings twice per month focusing on the information that was gathered from the questionnaire and other data.	Myself and CILT	Sept. 2013-  Feb. 2014	SPOT Observation Forms and Campus Trackers	We will use SPOT Observations to evaluate new teachers while they are implementing their skills in the classroom. They will be given feedback and additional help, if needed. This will be recorded and followed on our campus tracker.
6. Have teachers complete post questionnaires to examine the benefits for each of them and for the group.	Myself and CILT	March 2014	Questionnaire created with Google Forms	Compare the post questionnaire with their original questionnaire to examine the benefits of the support they received as individuals and as a group. Evaluate the feedback and see if changes need to be implemented to continue improvement..

Week 2 Reflection

I learned a lot from this week's assignment. The number one thing that I will embrace is that action research is a tool that can be utilized to help bring about change at every level and in every area of a school campus, beginning with staff development  and ending with social justice. I also learned that one should not shy away from the research that has been done by others, but embrace it and use it to benefit the needs of one's own campus.

Action Research

What I Have Learned About Action Research

Before beginning the course about action research, I had very little understanding of the subject as it refers to administrators. I have learned that action research allows the school leader to have more of a self-reflective, proactive role on any inquiry based school initiative. It is a tool that can be used by administrators to untangle the intricate web of day to day demands and take charge of their own professional development and become a "head learner" at the school. Action research does not require "outside experts" who have no clue about the climate or needs of a school. It involves the practitioner, the one who understands what is going on in the school, in the research process. With action research, the practitioner is more involved in the process, actively gains insight into problems, and searches for possible recommendations all within the walls of the school. To become an effective leader, I would consider action research a vital tool to use. It would allow me to function on an as needed basis. I would be able to take on the problems that arise, collect data on specific practices and then make changes to better serve the need of my campus. Since the data collected will be for a defined problem, the solution would be specifically for the problem identified. Action research works on the basis of determining what works and how to make it better.

How Educational Leaders Can use Blogs

I can see many benefits for us, as educational leaders to use blogs. One of the great benefits is the collaboration that it will allow. As a principal, you are the only one like you in your building and that is sometimes a very lonely place. It is also the place where almost everyone else in the building expects to come for answers. Blogging is way of gaining insight from other principals, sharing ideas with them and exploring ideas to a deeper level than you would all by yourself. In other words, it gives you a larger audience for your thoughts and a way to receive feedback.

Reference:
Dana, Nancy Fichtman, (2009), Administator Inquiry Defined. In Leading with passion and knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher, Thousan Oaks, CA: Corwin