Goal:Is it more beneficial to incorporate tutorials for state mandated testing during the school day or after school during special tutoring sessions?
Action Steps
Person Responsible
Timeline: Start/End
Needed Resources
Evaluation
1. Examine data of previous years failures and average scores for all students
D. Emery and counselor/Data Specialist
August 2010-begin before the students arrive
Data from each grade level and classroom scores
Data collection on previous years TAKS scores
2. Create a master schedule-one with the tutorials built into the school day and one after the school day.
D. Emery and Administrator
Schedule will start the first week of school and go until the last week of school.
Original master schedule/support services schedule (when can everyone be availabe to help out?)
Working with all stakeholders making sure the schedule works with everyone
3. Conduct a survey of all teachers asking what they think works best for the students and their educational achievement.
D. Emery
First week of school
Survey asking teachers thoughts and opinions. Finding out what the teachers believe to work best with struggling students and if they think the built in tutorial schedule will be benificial to their students.
Reviewing the surveys and taking teachers opinions into consideration.
4. Create two different groups of students that are at risk-one group to have tutorials during the school day, the other to stay after school and participate in tutorials.
D. Emery and Grade Level Chairs
First week of school
Data showing the at risk students and their scores, Master schedule, support service schedules
Student progress reports after the tutoring has started. These progress reports will be compared and also teachers comments and concerns about their tutorial schedule will be examined
5. Final report developed and decision about which tutorial works best for the students is made.
D. Emery/Grade Level Chairs/Administrators
Mid Semester of in the Spring
All data collected, teacher notes and comments, student progress reports, report cards, benchmark tests and any other data that would give an indication of imporvement or decline in student achievement
Which tutorial session works best for the students at my campus? Looking at the data and teacher surveys, a final report will be developed and a final schedule will be used for the following years.

Week 2

I have learned so much after deciding what topic I will be using for my research. Many different ideas came to my head but I was constantly coming back to the "Power Hour" idea where all students meet in groups with different teachers for an hour of the school day to work on intensive TAKS prep. I found this to be very interesting and I would like to find some literature as to what the professionals say about it. I am also excited because I will get the opportunity to experience it first hand as I will be doing the Power Hour next school year.

Why is Blogging so GREAT??

Blogging is such a valuable tool for administrators because it allows them to communicate with each other and to put thoughts and ideas somewhere that everyone can read about and comment on. Communication is so valuable and any means of communication that helps professionals to develop themselves professionally is an incredible tool. Integrating technology into the work place is also so vital in today's age. I believe if administrators use blogs, teachers will as well and may even encourage their students to as well. Imagine the possibilities if students became familiar with blogging.

Action Research-How its used

Administrative inquiry is a process by which principals may increase their knowledge base on their administrative procedures and how they do their jobs as leaders of an institution. It does not include trainings where principals sit and listen or watch somebody talk, but instead a means of personal reflection and personal growth based on their individual and campus needs. In “Leading with Passion and Knowledge” by Dana, it is stated as principal engagement in systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of inquiry. This action research is just that “action” because it allows individuals to physically do what they need in order to better their ability to lead the organization they are currently at. Constantly reviewing their needs and abilitites is a way in which a principal can decide what needs to be focused on when inquiring about their abilities as an administrator. I find action research to be a great way to encourage all educators to take an active part in their leaning just as we want our students to do. When you are able to decide what areas you feel are important to work on to make you a better educator you become more involved in your own learning and have an invested interest in it. This will help to develop better practices in your classroom or at your school.

I have learned so much about action research and how useful it can be to myself as an administrator. Self-reflection is such a valuable tool and using admin inquiry can help develop professionals and create great leaders!

• How can you use blogging to communicate with school stakeholders?

Blogging can be used to communicate with school stakeholders very easily. Because it is online it already has many advantages because of the convenience factor. Anyone with internet access can log in and respond to posts. This allows individuals the ability to participate in discussions and give ideas and opinions even if they are not able to attend school meetings and events. I believe staff can easily participate as well because they can add their thoughts and ideas to discussion threads. Ultimately it proves to be a great way to connect stakeholders without having formal sit down meetings and taking up everyone’s time. Someone can post an idea or thought and see what others think about it while never having to actually meet with anyone. I really feel it is a time saver and promotes individuals to share new ideas. People may feel more apt to share something because they do not have to speak in front of anyone, just type their ideas for others to read.

• What are the concerns of blogs and blogging in education?

The major concerns of blogging in education are the possibility of students responding inappropriately. Because it is on the internet there is really no way to monitor what gets said on the blogs. Of course the site creator can log in and delete student’s posts but unfortunately this is sometimes too late and the damage is already done. Teachers need to be very strict with policies dealing with what is said on the blogs. Students need to be trained on online etiquette so they understand what is appropriate, and inappropriate behavior while using blogs and other services similar to them. Grades can also be lowered for talk that is not positive in nature and appropriate for the learning of all students. For the most part I believe teachers can stop the negative behavior from happening if they are constantly monitoring and reminding students what expectations they have.