EDLD 5301 Final Reflection

At the beginning of this course, I was very unsure of what I wanted to do for research.  I was really not aware of the role that research plays in the career of a school leader and hadn’t given much thought to it.  After studying and creating my action plan, I gained a new understanding of the vital role that research plays in being an innovative and well-rounded school leader. 

The text resources were a key element in the knowledge that I gained regarding action research.  The Harris, et al text, “Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools”, was very informative on how to implement research plans in schools.  The text gave very specific examples on what data analysis looks like (pg. 25) as well as how to sustain improvement in schools throughout my career (pg. 94-98).  I can see myself referencing this text throughout my career in order to be a pioneering principal that is dedicated to improvement in schools.   In the text, “Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher” by Dana, I was given a detailed step by step process on going from a wondering to creating an action research project.  I feel that I will utilize her description on data collection (Chapter 3) when I actually conduct my research project.  

Taking the time to first consider the topic and let colleagues give some insight on the topic via the discussion boards and blogs was imperative to the development of my action plan.  It was so helpful to see what others were doing on their blogs to get jumpstart when I was having a mental block or was unsure on what to do.  Feedback and classmate ideas also gave me so many more ideas, so that by the time I had presented to my site supervisor/principal, he really didn’t have much to be said as improvements.  The dialogue with classmates made me look really good at that meeting!

The assignments that were completed over the course were very helpful.  The assignments broke down the process of creating the action plan, which can seem very daunting at first.  I feel that it was really great to have it broken down so much, as it gave time for reflection and further study.  This is a great model as to how we should also address the research throughout this school year.  I found that first creating the research plan template and then reading the steps to action research outline by Harris, et al (included in the Week 3 Assignment – Part 3) caused great thinking and analysis to make the plan more fluid and comprehensive. 

I am incredibly excited to begin the school year with this action plan in mind, more excited than I have been in the past 7 years of my career.  Action research will now be a part of what I do in education, whether I am a teacher or school leader as it keeps me motivated and creates an environment of innovation on my campus. I am looking forward to what results I do discover as a result of the research project and I hope that my work this year will make a positive impact on my campus.