1. Conducting Action Research
in the School Setting
Considerations for school administrators
Dr. Mark Knight
Executive Director of College and Career Readiness
Puyallup School District

2. Homework
Your homework for today:
• Identify a program, practice, or course of action in your current school setting.
• What might cause you to question the effectiveness of that program, practice, or course
of action?
Disucssion #1 – Talk through the above items with an elbow partner
Discussion #2 – Talk through the following with an elbow partner:
• Who is currently evaluating the program, practice, or course of actions that you have
selected? Why or why not?

3. Our Purpose Today
• Discuss the possible reasons why a leader might want to conduct action
research in the school setting.
• Examine a practical example of an action research study in a school setting.
• Generate potential action research topics in your school setting.

4. Conducting Research
Discussion #3 - Why might a school leader want to conduct research in a
building?
• Possible reasons:
• New leadership/personnel in key positions
• Effectiveness of personnel
• Evaluation of new program(s)
• Evaluation of old programs (traditions, “sacred cows”…)
• “Purposeful Abandonment”

5. • 25 years in public education (3 different districts)
• 14 years as a high school administrator -
Principal/Assistant Principal (2 different districts)
• 2 years district office administrator
My Background
• 2009 – Doctorate in Education
• Dissertation involving action research in the
school setting

6. • Work that is so compelling that students persist when they
experience difficulties.
• Work that is so challenging that students have a sense of
accomplishment and satisfaction when they accomplish the
tasks assigned.
Setting the Stage

7. 2%
9%
2%
11%
4%
13%
59%
Student Population
Amer. Ind.
Asian
Pac. Island.
As./Pac. Isl.
Black
Hispanic
White
Fife School District
3550 Students in 7 Schools
1 Primary School (K-1)
2 Intermediate Schools (2-5)
1 Middle School (6-7)
1 Junior High School (8-9)
1 High School (10-12)
1 Alternative School
45% Free/Reduced Lunch

10. • Descriptive Reviews
• Exemplar Lessons
• Coaching for Design
- WOW Academies
Professional Development Progression

11. School/Classroom Data
(State Assessments, Classroom
Based
Assessments, SAT/ACT…)
Identification of
Hard to Teach and/or
Learn Concepts
Specific Student Data
(Previous grades, reading level, interest areas ….)
Coaching
(Working with a
facilitator to blend
specific student data
with hard to teach
and/or learn concepts)
Lesson
DesignLesson Delivery
Student
Assessment
Coaching
for
Design
Process
C4D
#1
#5
#4
#3
#2
#7
#6

12. Changing Demographics
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
American Indian
Asian
Black
Hispanic
Multi-Racial
Pacific Islander
White
Free/Reduced
2009-10
1998-99

13. Students and Staff Solving
Problems
Diversity Summit – 5 Students/2 Staff Members
Fishbowl Activity with Staff – Adult facilitator/5
Students
Faculty Meeting w/Students – Selection of issues
C4D – “Virtual Assembly”
Video - Words That Hurt

14. Resulting Themes
• Student Voice
• Student voice is the opportunity for young people in the school system to provide
their input into issues concerning their education
• Engagement
• A psychological investment in learning, comprehending, or mastering
knowledge, skills, and crafts
• Beyond compliance
• Beyond motivation

15. A Problem of Practice
How can a learning organization create
the capacity for student voice to influence
teacher practice around lesson design so
that the end result is an increase in student
engagement and overall achievement?

16. Sub Problem #1
Can such a process contribute to the
professional and social needs of
teachers resulting in a greater
investment in their roles as designers
of engaging work for students?
Filter – Communities of Practice

17. Sub Problem #2
Can such a process contribute to satisfying the academic and social
needs of students resulting in a greater investment in their
educational setting?
Filter – Equity in Education

18. School/Classroom Data
(State Assessments, Classroom
Based
Assessments, SAT/ACT…)
Identification of
Hard to Teach and/or
Learn Concepts
Specific Student Data
(Previous grades, reading level, interest areas ….)
Coaching
(Working with a
facilitator to blend
specific student data
with hard to teach
and/or learn concepts)
Lesson
DesignLesson Delivery
Student
Assessment
Coaching
for
Design
Process
C4D
#1
#5
#4
#3
#2
#7
#6

19. School/Classroom Data
(WASL, Classroom Based
Assessments, SAT/ACT…
)
Identification of
Hard to Teach and/or
Learn Concepts
Specific Student Data
(Previous grades, reading level, interest areas ….)
Coaching
(Working with a
facilitator to blend
specific student data
with hard to teach
and/or learn concepts)
Lesson
DesignLesson Delivery
Student
Assessment
Specific Target Group
Student Focus Groups
Target Questions

20. Data Collection – Qualitative Research
• Outside consultant hired to conduct interviews of participants
• Group interview process
• All interviews video recorded
• Recordings transcribed
• Groups/Participants/Quotes coded
• Student Group (SG)
• Individual Students (S1, S2, S3…)
• Teacher Group (TG)
• Individual Teachers (T1, T2, T3…)

21. The Results: Making Sense of the Data
• Focus group preparation
• Questioning
• Selection of students
• The group process
• Changing perspectives
• Concept development
• Ownership
• Interactions between teachers and students
• Empowerment

22. Conclusions
• The incorporation of student voice activities into the C4D protocol increases the
engagement levels of the participants in the lesson design process.
• The incorporation of student voice activities into the C4D protocol increases the
perspectives of the participants around the roles that they play in relation to others in the
educational system.
• Given the limitations of the study with regard to the time boundaries, it is too early to
tell if the student voice activities incorporated within the C4D protocol increase overall
student achievement.

23. Changes Due to the Research
• Building on the findings
• 2009 FHS Staff Retreat
• Staff Development (concepts and questioning)
• Transfer of the work
• Other buildings in the district
• Other districts in the Standard Bearer Network
• Transparency
• Website

24. Questions
Discussion #4 – With an elbow partner, discuss the questions that come
to mind regarding this action research example
Discussion #5 – If you were to develop an action research plan for your
setting, what would be your focus?
• Things to consider:
• Participants
• Broad to narrow focus
• Quantitative/Qualitative