Realms of Research

This week, in the text Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher by Nancy F. Dana, I read about 9 different subject areas on which administrators may find themselves pondering questions for inquiry.  The provided domains included the following areas: staff development, curriculum development, individual teachers, individual students, school culture/community, leadership, management, school performance, and social justice.  Examples of how administrative inquirers had applied action research in each of these areas where provided. These made it clear to me how action research can be so limitless and can be structured to cover any inquiry one might have. 

After reading about the inquiries of others, brainstorming my own ideas and considering both the needs of the campus and my own interests and passions, I have come up with two very different areas of inquiry that I am considering: 

#1- What are parents' current perceptions about school involvement? How can we increase parental involvement within our campus to encourage student success?

#2- How well are literacy practices at the early grade levels preparing students to become strong readers?  Or What is the correlation between early reading success and future success on standardized tests?

I will be meeting with my administrator to decide which action research project I will be completing.  I look forward to hearing what input he will have about these two subjects and what I could gain from researching them.  I must say that it seems that action research is not only a beneficial tool in education, but an exciting endeavor for the ever inquiring educator or administrator!

A Look at Action Research

Action research or administrative inquiry is a very effective way of taking everyday issues within the school setting and turning them into topics of research to foster campus improvement.  Research in the educational setting no longer refers to improvement plans based on areas found to be lacking by university researchers or “outside” experts.  This outdated way of doing things has been found to be less effective and often failed to address campuses' actual needs.  Action research is a skill that administrators can effectively fit into their schedules by making it a part of their daily structure and choosing topics applicable to areas that must be addressed anyway (Dana, 2009).  Action research is not meant to add extra stress to administrators, but rather to create a road map of how to more effectively focus on continuous campus improvement.  Dana suggests that the best way to make time for action research is to make it a part of your daily practice by reshaping existing structures in your work. As an administrator I would use this method of inquiry to address every day issues in education such as getting parents more involved in their child’s education, improving teaching strategies to heighten student performance,  boosting the morale of my teachers and endless other studies that can lead toward a better atmosphere at my campus.

Why share your action research through blogging?

Blogs are great tools that can be used by educational leaders to share their action research and findings while encouraging collaboration among educators about important scholastic topics.  In having a blog you allow a wide range of experts to share even further insight and ideas about how to improve in the areas you are studying.  Most schools face very similar challenges on a daily basis and could benefit by learning from each other!   





Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher. California: Corwin.