Sunday, March 13, 2011

My Action Research Plan

Based on my decision to implement a New Teacher Academy on my campus to improve classroom management and decrease discipline referrals from new teachers' classes, I have created the following Action Research Plan.



GOAL:  To examine the effect of regular weekly meetings with teachers new to the campus on discipline referrals from these classes.


Action Step(s)
Person(s) Responsible
Timeline:
Start/End
Needed Resources
Evaluation
1. Research articles and other sources for information related to new teacher performance.
Myself and other campus administrators
March-May
Professional journals and databases, Internet seach engines and other resources
Does the research support a need for regular meetings with new teachers?
2. Analyze previous year’s discipline data to determine number of referrals from new teachers.  Compare with TAKS and other testing data to establish level of student performance.
Myself, site supervisor, and data clerk
May-June
Discipline referral data, TAKS data, other testing information from Eduphoria
What percentage of discipline referrals come from new teachers?  Will regular meetings decrease this number and increase student time on-task to improve TAKS scores?
3. Survey new teachers concerning perceived areas of strength and weakness and areas that they would like more information and guidance to improve their performance.
Myself and site supervisor
May and August
Surveys for teachers to complete
In what areas do new teachers feel they need support and guidance?  Does the data support these perceptions?  Will NTA help to improve these areas?
4. Plan and implement lessons for New Teacher Academy based on results of surveys and information gathered from research on this topic.
Myself and various administrators and teacher leaders throughout the school year
Weekly throughout school year
PBS and CHAMPS information and activities, various classroom management and discipline management resources
Are teachers implementing PBS and CHAMPS strategies introduced and discussed in NTA?  Are these strategies improving classroom performance and decreasing discipline referrals?
5. Analyze discipline referral data for new teachers throughout the year.  Compare with TAKS and other testing data to determine the effect of NTA on student behavior.
Myself, site supervisor, and discipline office secretary
Once every six weeks throughout school year
Discipline referral data, TAKS data, other testing information from Eduphoria
Have discipline referral numbers improved from the previous year?  Have TAKS scores and classroom performance improved in new teachers’ classrooms?  Is this program effective, and should it be continued for future new teachers?



3 comments:

  1. Amanda,

    I really think you are on to something here. I think it is critical to help new teachers with classroom management. I look forward to reading about your Action Research Plan. I remember a few years back we had a 1st year teacher who had 67 write-up's in one year! Hopefully, your ideas will garner some attention!

    Andy Smith

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  2. I wish there had been such initiative at the campus I started at to help new teachers with classroom management. I had the WORST first year ever and almost left teaching because of classroom management. I think your plan will help new teachers greatly and impact student achievement and growth. I think one thing we have to remember as "veteran" educators, is that new teachers are just trying to survive their first year. A teacher academy will be helpful if the new teachers let them help it. I like your ideas and look forward to following your blog!

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  3. Amanda, this action plan serves an important purpose-to aid new teachers in acquiring better classroom management skills. What a crucial area of education! Excellent choice in research topic!

    Keep up the great work!
    Dr. Abshire

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