3+EDLD+5301+Research

EDLD 5301 Research This course introduces graduate students to the design, methodologies, and techniques necessary to understand educational research and to use effective research in making informed decisions which can positively impact student achievement and other areas of identified action research issues leading to school improvement. An emphasis is placed on action research. The course is designed to help graduate students, serving as scholar practitioners, learn the skills to conduct action research that will improve your campus, district and larger community throughout their participation in the Lamar Educational Leadership program. More importantly, it provides the knowledge and skills to continue action research as part of your lifelong learning and professional development.

WEEK 1: The Problem You Wish To Study

WEEK 2: The Purpose of Your Study

WEEK 3: The Blueprint of Your Study, Part 1

WEEK 4: The Blueprint of Your Study, Part 2

WEEK 5: The Final Approved Plan

Course Outcomes Educator Preparation Standards Addressed: This course is aligned with both state and national standards and identifies activities to address those standards. State accreditation is based on program standards adopted by the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC). National accreditation is based on program standards of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the standards specific to educational administration by the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) and the National Policy Board of Educational Administration (NPBE) Standards: ISLLC 2008. The national standards are aligned with Texas SBEC standards for principals. These standards serve as the foundation for the courses within the Principal Certification Program and help assure that the prescribed course of study is authoritative and represents best practices in the field. Texas Education Code’s Requirements for Campus Improvement Plans The professors also see this course as a way to complement and enrich your efforts to work with stakeholders on the site-based decision making committee (e.g., Campus Improvement Team) to help implement initiatives from the Campus Improvement Plans. The Texas Education Code mandates that the plans include the following steps: (1) assess the academic achievement for each student in the school using the academic excellence indicator system as described by Section 39.051; (2) set the campus performance objectives based on the academic excellence indicator system, including objectives for special needs populations, including students in special education programs under Subchapter A, Chapter 29; (3) identify how the campus goals will be met for each student; (4) determine the resources needed to implement the plan; (5) identify staff needed to implement the plan; (6) set timelines for reaching the goals; (7) measure progress toward the performance objectives periodically to ensure that the plan is resulting in academic improvement; and (8) include goals and methods for violence prevention and intervention on campus. (9) provide for a program to encourage parental involvement at the campus. Your Campus Improvement Plan may certainly serve as a topic(s) for your action research plan* and project*. The SIP or PIP Template in the Resource Section is closely aligned with addressing campus vision and goals in planning, implementing and evaluating your action research plan and project.

Learning Outcomes: Students will: 1) understand the nature and purpose of practitioner inquiry and action research. 2) know the benefits of action research for campus or district leaders. 3) be familiar with the steps to develop a blog and share action research progress. 4) understand the importance of using “reflective techniques” to enrich communication on the blog and in monitoring the action research project. 5) identify possible action research topics from the intern plan developed in EDLD 5311 and skills needed to successfully lead the research project. 6) be familiar with areas frequently identified by school leaders needing further research (e.g., school and curriculum development, school culture/campus improvement, school performance in reducing achievement gaps, etc.). 7) know which areas for action research to address school improvement are priorities of the site supervisor. 8) develop a clear and concise research question and/or statement to address the school improvement project(s). 9) identify and analyze the common steps or format to design an action research plan (e.g., methods for data collection/analysis, research tools needed, etc.). 10) understand the importance of disseminating the results of the action research project in the final intern report and to other scholar practitioners and interested stakeholders. 11) examine research strategies designed to sustain action research. 12) learn the process of reaching consensus with the site supervisor and university professor in the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the research design and implementation. (It should be noted that monitoring is designed to assist and support the student and site supervisor throughout the duration of the research project. The larger project or multiple smaller research projects will be completed during the 18-month internship for those students who have just completed EDLD 5311). 13) Examine and analyze strategies to assess action research. 14) Reflect on lessons learned about developing an action research project. Performance Outcomes: Students will be able to: 1) examine definitions of practitioner inquiry, action and applied research and write a definition of action research that is a synthesis of these definitions. 2) review examples of action research in educational settings and provide a written analysis of the benefits of action research. 3) develop a blog focusing on sharing information and insights on the action research project and communicate to other students the needed information for accessing the blog. 4) using the blog, engage in reflective practice and share what is being learned about your action research plan, process, and progress. Submit comments to at least three other class member’s blogs. 5) review your internship plan and meet with the site supervisor to brainstorm potential needed and/or desired research topics. 6) using Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher, identify at least nine areas that are common targets or themes of school-based action research. 7) write a research question and/or clear statement to address the possible areas for action research emerging from the interview and brainstorming. 8) draft an action research plan that includes: a) Goals and objectives of the research investigation b) Resources and research tools needed for data gathering c) Persons responsible for implementation of the action research plan d) Process for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives e) Assessment instrument(s) to evaluate the effectiveness of the action research study 9) review the steps in your research plan and make any needed revisions. 10) include in the action research plan, the methods used to disseminate findings of the research project. 11) describe research strategies to support and sustain ongoing action research. 12) reach consensus with the site supervisor on the overall internship plan, including the action research plan to be implemented. (Note: The site supervisor must sign or use email verification of approval. The approved overall plan will be uploaded to the Electronic Portfolio). 13) identify strategies for assessing action research. 14) describe lessons learned about planning an action research project.

Course Standards This course is aligned with both state and national standards, and identifies activities to address those standards. State accreditation is based on program standards adopted by the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC). National accreditation is based on program standards of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and the standards specific to educational administration by the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC). The National Policy Board of Educational Administration adopted the Interstate School Leader Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards that are supported by NCATE and ELCC. The national standards are aligned with SBEC standards for principals. These standards serve as the foundation for the courses within the Principal Certification Program, and help assure that the prescribed course of study is authoritative and represents best practice in the field.