Building a Blog on Action Research: Week 1 part 3 Assignment

Starting Course Two working toward a Master's in Educational Leadership. I am amazed at how much I have learned in such a short time.

Action Research is a way to affect change in my school from the inside. The most effective part of Action Research, in my limited opinion, is that it involves the school staff in the current issues that need to be resolved. They are the ones who will be most affected by changes made and as a principal, I will benefit from gaining the value of their insight, as well as buy in when they feel a part of the change. Action research also allows me to work with my staff to form leadership teams to help me identify areas of concern and brainstorm solutions to these problems. These leadership teams will help me to create goals that we can work toward attaining. Upon reaching these goals, we can celebrate our successes and reevaluate areas that need to be addressed. Action Research will also allow me to show myself as a "head learner" and lead by example to encourage my staff to also see themselves as lifelong learners.

The readings have further enforced the value of collaboration in the decision making process for leaders, as was emphasized in our first leadership course. As leaders we need to seek out our teachers' expertise and insights to gain knowledge and ownership by the entire school. With this type of leadership, the teachers will feel an integral part of a larger learning community and that they are valued as an important part of the learning family.

I think blogs would be a good way for principals to communicate with staff to keep them up to date important events and evoke discussion. I also think this would be a good way for them to share information with principals in other districts across the country.