Action Research: Professional Development

Wonderings: - In what ways might a Professional Development of Whole-Group Book Study; contribute to enhanced learning opportunities and increased student achievement of diverse learners, while increasing collaboration and morale of staff?
-In what ways can I as a school leader, best facilitate teacher professional development?

Action Research Investigation Goals
• Increase collaboration of staff
• Increase morale of staff
• Enhance student learning opportunities
• Increase student achievement among diverse groups of students
• Increase personal leadership skills

Activities designed to achieve objectives
Provide professional development opportunities:
• Opening week back to school
• Professional development days throughout the school year
• Create opportunities for communication among staff: face-to-face opening day events and team building activities, periodic meetings for entire faculty, periodic meetings with departments and smaller collaborative groups, emails, blogging, etc.

Resources & research tools needed
• Meeting room for opening day - off-site location due to remaining construction on campus
• Books – purchase 300 copies for entire school staff:
Blankstein, A.M. (2010). Failure is not an option: 6 principles for Making Student Success the only option. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Rath, T., Clifton, D.O. (2009). How full is your bucket? Positive strategies for work and life: Educator’s edition. New York, NY: Gallup Press.
• Materials & Equipment to present information such as: projector, laptop computer, PowerPoint presentation, agenda, hand-outs
• Supplies for staff development including notebooks, paper, pens, pencils, markers, etc.
• Food and drinks to contribute to participants comfort and increase time involved in collaboration activities
• Funding provided through DoDEA Mathematics Initiative Grant

Persons Responsible
• Brenda Lohse, DoDEA Grant Project Leader
• Principal of school
• Assistant Principals of School
• Leadership team

Draft timeline for completion or implementation of activities
June 2010
 Reserve location
 Submit purchase order for location
 Submit purchase order for books
 Submit purchase orders for supplies and materials

July 2010
 Create Agenda for Professional Development

August 2010
 Hold 1st professional development session

September 2010
 Hold 2nd professional development session (Teacher In-service ½ day)
 Begin reflection through use of technology (email or blogging)

Bi-Monthly, September 2010 – May 2011
 Follow-up sessions (in face-to-face meetings and through use of technology such as emails and blogging)

October 2010
 Create and disseminate surveys to gather preliminary data
 Write preliminary report

February 2010
 Disseminate surveys to determine Action Plan progress
 Write preliminary report

May 2011
 Summative Evaluations completed and collection
 Write final report and present to school stakeholders including: parents, teachers, administration, district, and School Board

Process for Monitoring the achievement of goals & objectives
Formative and summative evaluations to obtain data and determine the effectiveness of professional development activities and follow-up.
Evaluation questions to include:
• Were staff development opportunities provided as planned?
• Did faculty and staff who received the professional development, implement the best-practice collaborative strategies in their classrooms?
• Did the professional development lead to the following stated objectives, and to what extent?
 Increase collaboration of staff?
 Increase morale of staff?
 Enhance student learning opportunities?
 Increase student achievement?
 Increase personal leadership skills?

Assessment instrument(s)
During Professional Development Sessions:
• Agenda of Professional Development showing research-based strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners and increase collaboration among staff
• Sign-in sheets for all attendees
• Add Professional Development sessions to on-line tracking system (Eduphoria) to maintain data/ attendance of attendees
• Pre and post evaluations by participants regarding their level of knowledge to meet needs of diverse learners and how they will incorporate this new knowledge into their teaching

Post-Training:
• Surveys developed and created to gather participant information such as:
 Prior –staff development knowledge
 Post –staff development knowledge
 Faculty and staff perspective on quality of staff development
 Faculty and staff perspective on ability to implement objectives in classrooms
 Survey completed by teachers, or other measures of accountability at specific intervals through-out the school year
• Summary of best-practice collaborative professional development activities
• Classroom Observations
• Copies of walk-throughs to verify use of information/ strategies learned
• Review of Lesson Plans to determine how teachers are incorporating training into their lessons
• Teacher comments to provide information on how the new knowledge is helping meeting the needs of diverse learners, and how it may be improving their achievement
• Follow-up training that may be needed by specific teachers, or if they feel additional information is required
• Journaling by myself and select teachers, specifically math department teachers; to reflect upon the process and changes that have occurred because of the information learned in the staff development sessions
• Blogs or other technology to provide a forum for teachers to communicate with one another during the process of change