5301 Research Week 1 - Action Research

Action research appears to be a way to battle professional isolation that is pervasive in education.  Collaborating on problems, issues, and decision-making with other administrators and teachers can go a long way to battle the isolation that many educators face.  Action research or administrator inquiry is a technique that goes farther than traditional research.  Instead of taking the research and findings of "experts," and implementing their "prescriptions," principals use action research to look at practices on their own campuses, use data to analyze those practices, and then make decisions based on their findings.  It is practical. Action research can be used in a variety of ways.  Leadership teams can use this method to problem-solve with their administrator.  Another context of action research is that it encourages the use of best practices by others in the school.  When educators analyze student learning as it relates to their instructional practices they are able to make changes that enhance student success.  A third use of action research can be utilized in professional learning communities as a form of professional development.  The process of action research causes principals to slow down and take a look at their school.  Engaging in inquiry forces the administrator to focus on one problem or issue at a time instead of running around from "fire to fire."