Action Research Topic- Camp

ELAD 6573/7573 Leading School Improvement Name: Sarah Camp Date: 10/25/23 Directions To begin the Action Research process, you will submit plans to identify an educational/instructional problem. This is the first major step in the process of conducting an action research study. The research topic should address a realistic educational problem, such as considering trying a new teaching method or identifying a topic you are interested in knowing more about. Possible topics for investigation might be anything about which you are curious or intrigues you in any way. When identifying your research problem, ask yourself if it is something over which you have any influence. Example: Meeting the needs of gifted elementary readers with the use of mastery learning. Once you have decided on an area of interest, it is time to convert your topic into research question(s). The question or questions are used to guide the research study through a search of the literature. The goal is to be able to answer the research question(s) at the end of the study. Research questions should not be stated in a manner that assumes an answer before data have been collected. It is also important to ensure that the research question(s) are not too broad or too specific. Qualitative research questions tend to be more open-ended and holistic while quantitative questions are generally more focused and specific. Lastly, research questions must be able to be answered by collecting available data. This means the research question should be answered by observing, rating, surveying, mining existing data, or interviewing individuals. Example: What special needs are held by gifted elementary students regarding their reading comprehension skills when mastery learning is implemented? This week, you will be asked to respond to the following: (Type your responses in the expandable boxes.) I. Identifying and Limiting the Research Topic: What aspect of the school are you interested in? This component requires you to identify the area of school improvement that interests you. This could be regarding curriculum, culture, initiatives, equity, diversity, technology, personnel, legislative/legal measures, facilities, resources, relationships, demographics, community offerings, social and governmental factors, communication, etc. (This is not an exhaustive list. There are many more options.) As you choose, think about what specifically about that area you will be able to address and collect data on. The area of school improvement I am interested in is: student attendance. Action Research Plan: Research Topic

It is helpful to understand the context of your problem. What problem do you see in your school, classroom, and/or education? Our SQSS category score was our biggest drop on our School Report Card. The area most significantly impacting that drop was student attendance. After analyzing last years data, only 30% of our students missed five days or less. I have also attached a chart displaying which grade levels were impacted the most. Attendance effects the overall achievement of the student as well. If they are not at school, they can’t learn. Even though we met our growth goal for ESSA, our achievement score dropped significantly to a 67. What do you want to investigate? I want to investigate ways to encourage families and students to come to school, and understand the importance of being at school as much as possible. I also want to investigate why attendance has dropped so much. Over the last four years we have seen a steady decrease in overall attendance within our school. What are you planning to do in order to address the topic? - In order to address the topic I will begin with conducting research to see if this is a statewide/ nationwide problem, and collect data across surrounding schools to see if this is a district problem as well. I will interview parents and send out questionaries asking about their opinion on school attendance. As a school, we will invite in focus groups that include parents, teachers, and students to gain their opinion on attendance and what could be used to encourage themselves and other families. Then I will work with my admin to create Grade Level # of Students Absent 5-10% (8-17 days) # of Students Absent Over 10% (more than 17 days) Kindergarten 12 students=6 points lost 10=10 points lost First 23=11.5 points lost 22= 22 points lost Second 23=11.5 points lost 29=29 points lost Third 34=17 points lost 15=15 points lost Fourth 27=13.5 points lost 15=15 points lost Total Points Lost 59.5 points lost 91 points lost

Identify Problem for Action Research Identifying and Limiting the Research Topic Responses to each of the provided questions demonstrate a clear and specific understanding of the research topic related to a coherent and unified perspective on school improvement. (6 points) Responses to most of the provided questions demonstrate understanding of the research topic related to school improvement. (4 points) Responses to the provided questions fail to demonstrate understanding of the research topic and/or does not relate to school improvement. (2 points) Research Question(s) The research poses thoughtful question(s) that investigates an interesting, relevant, and important topic. (6 points) The research poses satisfactory question(s) that investigates an adequate topic. (4 points) The research question(s) requires little creative thought and does not attempt to investigate the research topic. (2 points) Mechanics All aspects of the assignment are addressed. Content is coherent, organized, well-written and is free of grammatical and spelling errors. (3 points) All aspects of the assignment are addressed. Content is coherent, organized, well-written, and contains a small number (less than 5) of grammatical and/or spelling errors. (2 points) Some aspects of the assignment are not addressed. Content is not balanced and organized or contains numerous (5 or more) grammatical and/or spelling errors. (1 point)