EDLD 5397

I have reached a milestone in my internship upon completing course EDLD 5397. I am very ecstatic to continue on this path that will allow me to become a leader in education. It has not been an easy task, but nonetheless very worthwhile! Lorena

Progress of Action Research - March, 2013

My action research has driven our current need to address our Latino Population.  We have been working together for over two months on the implementation and progress of this program.  We have been providing a Literacy Awareness to our Latino families every week and have seen participation increase as the program continues.  The student are becoming familiar with expectations of our research and are being monitored through school data on unit assessments as well as the state mandated test STAAR.

Parents have been given resources, such as books, cameras, and binders, to monitor their progress at home and build their own family album.  Each parent was provided with a book that is in both English and Spanish.  These books are to be read to their child in their native language (Spanish) and in turn their children also read the book to their parents in English.

Throughout the research, there have been obstacles that have been presented as time goes by.  These obstacles may have caused some deviation from the original plan, but have not hindered its outcome.  Parents and students are becoming more involved in the education and responsibilities of their own success. This will create a long term effect of being actively involved and conscious of the needs of their English Language Learner. 

I hope to continue with this progress and success, as our Latino population is increasing constantly!  That their families may see the benefit of being a part of their education, and that we may overcome all the barriers that may present themselves in the near future.  Students are to know how important and valuable it is to be bilingual. 

Leadership through ACTION!

Leadership through ACTION!      Modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart, are some of the practices of exemplary leadership.  As stated in the Dana text, leaders will naturally engage in these practices day in and day out.  Although there are many insights that highlight my experience in this course, the one just mentioned has become my focal point when evaluating my skills and performance on tasks.  A new window has been opened in my mind and the possibilities are endless.  I have seen the importance of conducting action research as a form of overcoming some of the many obstacles that leaders in our community often face.       These practices… aren’t the private property of the people we studied or of a few select shining stars.  They’re available to anyone, in any organization or situation, who accepts the leadership challenge. (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, p.13) As I engaged in the lessons of this course I found solutions and steps to take in order to become an efficient leader.  My own action research on the Latino population in our school and the services offered aligned with their needs is turning out to be a huge stepping stone in the right direction.  Many are becoming involved in the change and are partaking in the challenge of making a difference in our community.      On one hand, our students are being served in a conscious learning centered environment.  While on the other, teachers are feeling connected to their students as we research ways of helping them improve their school performance.  It is a win-win situation all around.  The quality indicators back up the research in that is transferable and can be applied in other schools to help with their special populations.      Furthermore, this idea of conducting action research as an ongoing process can really make me a quality leader in my school as I aim to become an Administrator one day.  Using methods such as Delphi mentioned in the book Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action, will allow me to get others involved in the process and invest their wisdom to bring improvement to our school.   Everyone’s insight on a subject matter, for example the Latino community and how it can be improved, is responsibility of the entire school.  Cultivating a learning environment by taking into account the majority of our school population can be improved with the input of others.       To sum it all up, being a Leader in this day and age entails ACTION!  Not only is it good enough to know your school, you must be willing to accept the challenge of guiding and researching in order to make your environment the best it can be.

Overcoming Challenges...

As my Action Research on the Latino Population of our school continues, I have encountered several challenges that strongly affect the outcome of this research.  With the suggestions from my peers, as well as my supervisor, I will be conducting a survey focusing on understanding the interests and motivators in order to increase parental involvement.

I will keep you posted on my findings... Have a Great Week!

School Improvement Action Research Plan

Lorena Hernandez

School Improvement Project

Plan of Action

SCHOOL VISION: Our SISD School is dedicated to offering the best education focusing on student achievement for all students. Hurshel Antwine educators are highly qualified and work to ensure all students, including special populations such as low-income, bilingual, special education and military students, have the best resources and instruction to succeed. Our District has a long tradition of success and continues “Building on Excellence” so that all students are college and career-ready when they graduate from SISD schools.

GOAL: To address several aspects of our ever-growing Latino population in our campus to include: studying habits, preparation for school, and life at home, and how these aspects affect their performance in school.  By addressing their needs, our goal is to create an increase in their performance as well as engaging them (with their families) to become lifelong learners.

OUTCOMES	ACTIVITIES	RESOURCES/ RESEARCH TOOLS NEEDED	RESPONSIBLE PARTY TO ADDRESS ACTIVITIES	TIME LINE	BENCHMARK/ ASSESSMENT	REVISIONS TO SIP/PIP BASED ON MONITORING AND ASSESSMENTS
Study Habits	Monitor student use of agendas to keep log of study habits.	Agenda sheets provided to students from teachers, where they will monitor their homework assignments and completion of tasks.	Focus Group Classroom Teacher - Mrs. Serrano	Feb – April 2013	Evaluate the use of time and management of school work and studying habits as they relate to their performance in class.
Preparedness for school	After – school outreach/ tutoring	Intervention activities to assist students who are struggling, and are considered Tier 3.	Lorena Hernandez	Feb – April 2013	STAAR test in April
Family engagement in child’s education	Latino Family Literacy Project	LFLP products already in school/ along with support by volunteers to assist with project as this will take place afterschool.	Lorena Hernandez – Instr. Coach Bertha Arsola  -School Librarian Haydee Duran  – Instr. Coach	10 week program to begin in Feb 2013	After 10 week period, evaluate student progress in school as correlation to their parent/guardian participation in this literacy program.

Report and Dissemination of SIP/PIP Findings, Implications and Recommendations:

I will be sharing my findings and research through the use of the blog created in this course.  This will enable others to understand the process of the research and the findings that become available as time progresses.  I will be providing background information of how the research came about and what was important as pertaining to our particular campus.  Also, sharing the design of the inquiry will be important as it will be as Dana states, “sharing your system as well as your intentions.”  Another task would be to state the learning and supporting the statements with data.  There is nothing more valuable than to back up your learning with the use of data and how it is being affected by your learning.  Finally, providing concluding thoughts will be as Dana says, “the answers to the initial questions posed by the inquiry study.”  This will entail generating future wonderings that could begin a whole new research in itself.

Determining Topic to Research (week 2)

After careful consideration and with the support of my Administrator, I have decided to do my action research on our ever growing Latino Population and their Needs.  This will allow me to better understand our school demographics, as well as providing the services needed to assist in their success.  I am really looking forward to my findings and wish to share with those who may have the same situation at their schools.  Vamos con todo!! (Bring it!)

How can Educational Leaders use blogs?

How can an Educational Leader use a Blog? 

One of the most powerful practices in our professional development has been blogging about our thoughts and experiences being principals... an educational blog is an online posting of your professional thoughts, questions, or experiences at a Website which others can read and leave a response. (Dana, 2009)  This statement depicts the benefit of an Educational Leader becoming a blogger and using it to their advantage.  Not only can one share out own personal experiences in a particular setting, but leaders can find solutions and ideas that others have encountered and overcome.

Action Research 101! (Description)

Action Research? What is THIS you might as yourself? How does it pertain to me? Other than just defining the term I would like to help you internalize this concept and process how it can make a difference in your educational setting.  Action research is not just an informal observation conducted from an outside source that dictates and questions your every move.  No, on the contrary, action research is the direct involvment of you and other practicioners in the development, analysis, and implementation of solutions to pressing concerns at your school.  There is definitely not one way to solving a problem, as there is not one exact school environment from another.  Even within the same school district, each campus has its own educational setting and culture that should be embraced not altered by an outsider.  Thus, a practioner, such as the schools instructional leaders, teachers, administrators, and pricipal play an important role in the research and implementation.  Action research is as simple as defining an issue to study, reviewing professional literature, taking action, and using and sharing results. (Ringler, 2007) So, is this just another fad that will eventually die out and never have a true impact in our schools? Absolutely not! Action Research is just the improvement of self-reflection and improvement in our schools and communities.  This is the pivoting point where we all participate in the improvement and success of our educational setting for years to come!