EDLD 5397 Week 4 Draft Action Research Progress Report Part 2

        This is part two of my draft action research report and discusses the vision, resources involved, and results of my action research project.  My action research plan is in the process of being implemented.  I have had to change a few dates and add some stakeholders, but it essentially has remained intact.  The plan is as follows:

TPJH Website - Action Research Plan
Goals:                  What is the frequency of appearance of common elements in alternative education school websites?              What are the stakeholders’ judged values of the common elements in school websites?
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Review literature for best website design for school websites as it relates to common website elements and visit award winning school websites.	James Hawks	Start:  2/6/12   End:   3/16/12	Research tools: Internet, library, EBSCO Database	Make a comprehensive list of elements.
Confer with the TPJH Website Committee. Make a representative checklist for evaluating disciplinary alternative education program (DAEP) websites.	James Hawks   TPJH Website Committee	Start:  3/19/12   End:   3/22/12	Best practice data from the literature review and surveying of school websites.	List of committee chosen common elements
Construct school website survey to gather data on the most common school website elements found in DAEP websites.	James Hawks   TPJH Website Committee	Start:  3/26/12   End:  3/30/12	List of committee selected common school website elements.	Created survey/checklist to use to gather data from DAEP websites
Create a definition of what constitutes and DAEP school.	James Hawks   TPJH Website Committee   Carolyn Alexander	Start: 3/19/12   End:   3/22/12	Internet, Texas Education Agency	Working definition of DAEP.
Survey 30 DAEP websites using the checklist survey to gather data to ascertain the most common elements found in AEP school websites.	James Hawks   TPJH Website Committee	Start:  3/26/12   End:   4/5/12	Created Survey   Check list of common elements seen in school websites used to gather data on each website.	Completed Surveys   30 completed surveys of at least 30 DAEP school websites.
Evaluate the data from website surveys.   Report to TPJH Committee and Site mentor	James Hawks   TPJH Website Committee Carolyn Alexander	Start:  4/9/12   End:   4/13/12	Completed surveys and   statistical analysis	Compile results for review by TPJH Website Committee and Site Supervisor.    Develop report on common DAEP school website elements.
Construct survey for parents, students, and staff.   Decide on final draft.	James Hawks   TPJH Website Committee	Start:  4/16/12   End:   4/20/12	Statistical analysis of most common elements found in DAEP school websites.	Created survey for students, parents, and staff using a scale of 1 to 5; one being described as not very important and five being described as very important.
Survey all stakeholders, : parents, students, and staff.	James Hawks   TPJH Website Committee   Carolyn Alexander	Start:  4/23/12   End:   5/18/12	Surveys   Designated times and places for conducting surveys.	Collection of Completed Surveys
Evaluate data from student, parent, and staff surveys of common components desired to be seen in an disciplinary alternative education program school website.   TPJH Website PLC meet to discuss findings	James Hawks   TPJH Website Committee	Start: 8/14/12   End:  9/21/2012	Statistical Analysis of common components desired and to what degree they are desired.	Report – TPJH Website Committee and site supervisor.
TPJH Website PLC meets to apply research results to the design of Turning Point Junior High’s school website. Publish Website	Turning Point Junior High School Website Committee	Start:  10/1/12   End:   11/1/12	Web design tools, online web space, apply results of the research.	Published Website
Reflect on lessons learned.  Discuss future research questions as it pertains to the use and improvement of TPJH school website.	TPJH Website Committee   Administration	Start:  11/2/12   End:   12/24/12	Blog, Website	Publish findings and reflection.
Complete Action Research Report	James Hawks	Start:  2/6/12   End:   1/11/13	Formatted Action Report in APA Style	Completed Action Research Report

        In implementing the action research plan, I have developed a core group of individual stakeholders to communicate the vision of the project.  Further, meetings have been held and are ongoing.  The vision for research and development of the new website has been articulated and well received.  Surveys have been used to receive feedback for certain elements of the website and meetings with input have been conducted and will be conducted in the future.  Further, in using a action research project website, all stakeholders are encouraged to share their comments by using the website, sending email, or hand delivering their views.  As meetings occur and consensus is made, any changes to the action research project deemed necessary will be made and reported on the website.         

       Stewardship of the my vision was important, but promoting community involvement in the vision of our new school website was and is crucial.  Community members such as businesses were not involved, but parents were.  I wanted to receive parents’ input on what they would like to see in the website.  Surveys were conducted with parents completing intakes at TPJH.  Further, the project website was available for their input as well.  One main factor for developing the website was for improving communication with the community, parents, students, and faculty and improving the climate and culture of the organization.

       After promoting stakeholder involvement, I needed to, and am managing, the use of fiscal and human resources to support the development of the school website.  Our new schol website has to be built on a DotNetNuke platform and involves learning the program and training.  That takes time and money.  Further, a plethora of individual stakeholders are needed to gather information to create an esthetic, well thought out, informative school website that communicates well and does not have any contradicting information in it.  Individual stakeholders will need to take time to critically think about their positions and decide essential information that will be contributed to the website.  Further, those stakeholders will need to contribute artifacts that will be needed to create our new school website.  Again, that takes time and effort  and can affect how stakeholders use their resources.  I am using a project website help focus stakeholders and reduce a need for time consuming meetings. Those that cannot make meetings can quickly go to the website and understand when tasks are to be completed and reports or items are due.

        While no community resources are planned to be used to create the school website, parents were and are involved.  Their involvement, added with the involvement of teaching assistants, janitors, the cafeteria manager, teachers, principals, students, and other faculty has and will lead to an improved positive school culture.  Just one example involves dress code.  Students that come in the school building out of dress code are immediately isolated until they are properly dressed.  Many times there is a misunderstanding at home.  With a quick look at our new website parents and students can double check dress code requirements.  This improves the school climate by reducing conflict between faculty, students, and parents. 

        At the conclusion of the action research project, I hope to publish TPJH’s first school website developed with the input of action research data and all stakeholders.  Next, I would like to publish the results in the action research project website.  Finally, I would like to publish the findings to the formal questions asked in the research to the Lamar repository and possibly in a technology leadership journal. 

        As the results of the action research have not been completed, I can comment on what has been done.  I would recommend a follow up evaluation and study of the new school website after it has been published and utilized for a period of time.  I recommend a survey that takes into account the affects of the website on climate and culture and the smooth operation of the school, teaching, and learning.

Key Words, Phrases or Terms describing your Action Research Project:
           

New School Website, Frequency of Appearance of Common Elements in School Websites, Stakeholder’s Judged Values of Common Elements in School Websites, DAEP School Websites, School Climate, Teaching and Learning, Communication, Development of New School Websites, Improving School Climate, Improving School Culture, Project Leadership, Project Websites, Leadership through Project Websites.

EDLD 5397 Week 4 Web Conference Reflections

       Dr. Martin’s web conference was reassuring and interesting.  I asked a question about the LCE and found out that it would be better to take the LCE closer to the time that I would be taking the TExES exam.  Dr. Martin said it was an excellent test preparation.  He also indicated we could take it as many times as we would like.  I was encouraged to hear that because I like to explore why I make mistakes.  It helps me to make improvements. 
       There was discussion of the ILD; its cost and where it is given and more discussion on the ETLISE.  Dr. Martin indicated that there should be some comments made by our site supervisors. Further, he discussed the professional development program.  He said that we should consider three things that we would like to learn after we graduate and make plans for it.
        I am beginning to see how this course assists interns in their progress toward the completion of the internship. 

EDLD 5397 Week 3 Draft Action Research Progress Report Part 1

Design and Choice of Common Elements in DAEP School Websites

       In Arlington Independent School District, all schools have school websites.  School websites introduce the community to the school – “its mission, its character, its look, its offering to children, its stance on new technologies, and its spirit” (McKenzie, 1997). “One of the most important steps involved in creating a school web site is deciding what content will be included and how it will be organized. Building a school web site provides a unique addition to the curriculum. In the development phase, students and teachers should discuss the kinds of materials they want to add to the site” (Florida Center for Instructional Technology, 2004, chap. 1). The need for improvement was determined by the need for a school website at Turning Point Junior High and the need for a fully researched and developed plan for creating the website.

       My action research focuses on the frequency of appearance of common elements selected for disciplinary alternative education school websites and then it surveys parents, students, and faculty on their judged values of a selected group of those common elements.  Common elements of most school websites include elements such as a mission statement, physical location of the school, a mascot, among others.  Arlington Independent School District includes the following elements as a matter of practice:  school name, address, phone number, principal, assistant principal, counselor/social worker, school hours/bell schedule, enrollment/demographics, school colors, mascot, motto, accountability and assessment data.  This research strives to examine the preferred elements of all stakeholders to help design Turning Point Junior High’s first school website. 

       My research requires the following actions that are measurable:  define DAEP, survey thirty or more DAEP school websites to measure the common website elements – graph in Excel, choose the most often used website elements and use them to develop an anonymous survey for parents, student, and faculty,  survey faculty, parents, and students to rank the importance of common school website elements, report the results to all stakeholders through meetings and a website, take action and develop a website using the results of surveys and the building of consensus among stakeholders.

       Research was conducted to determine previous research done on the best approach for developing new websites for schools.  Kurt Lewin said it best, “In a field that lacks objective standards of achievement, no learning can take place. If we cannot judge whether an action has led forward or backward, if we have no criteria for evaluating the relation between effort and achievement, there is nothing to prevent us from making the wrong conclusions and to encourage the wrong work habits.  Realistic fact-finding and evaluation is a prerequisite for any learning” (Lewin, K., 1946, p. 34).  There was a lack of research on best practices for creating school websites as of the writing of this research. 

       While research in the area of building school websites was limited, what research there was did encourage an organized approach to creating a school website would be beneficial over time.  “Content analysis of items currently included in school websites and stakeholder judgments of items desired in school websites, remain absent in the existing literature” (Miller, S., Adsit, K. I., & Miller, T., 2005, p. 34).  However, from the research available, “data indicates a need for schools to examine websites in light of the commonly agreed-to desirable features” (Miller, S. et al., 2005, p. 39).  Again, One of the best ways to determine what to include (in school library websites) is by looking at other sites (Jurkowski, O., 2004). Further, “data suggests that it is important for schools to be aware of the specific needs of specific audiences” (Miller, S. et al., 2005).  

       I used emails, discussions, and meetings to articulate the need and vision of the action research.  Further, the survey indicated the vision and need for a new school website at TPJH and asked all stakeholders to rank the website elements from 5 to 1.  Five being “a very important feature that must be included on our site” to one, I do not want this feature included in our website.

       Strategies for organizing the implementation of the project are varied. Concerning privacy and safety of all stakeholders, the survey was completely anonymous and did not have any questions that were controversial in any way.  I had preliminary meetings to ascertain the most common DAEP school website elements and to set up the use of the surveys with all stakeholders.  I am now at the point where we are about to begin to disseminate the survey results, begin to decide the design standards for the website, and add the website elements after discussion of survey results and achieving consensus from the TPJH school website committee.  Our goal is to develop a website that contributes to the school climate, safety, and student learning by communicating with all stakeholders needed information that will help facilitate the smooth operation of the school and provide a needed quick reference for all stakeholders.

     The strategies used to lead the operations of the project and set priorities included several points. I used informal meetings to elicit members for the committee and will use a project website to lead the operations of the project, to set priorities, and communicate meetings times and dates.  I have developed a website that has a home page and three tentative meeting dates; more will be scheduled if needed.  Each meeting will have pre-meeting tasks, an agenda, and meeting goals.  Results of research on best practices on website design and surveys will be presented in a power point and disseminated to the committee and published to the project website. The project website will help lead and document results for all stakeholders.

       My action research project will serve the needs of all stakeholders by communicating Turning Point Junior High’s mission and vision more fully.  The website will provide needed intake and transition information to all stakeholders reducing unnecessary anxiety and assisting in a smoother transition to and from the regular campus.  For example, according to surveys all stakeholders are interested in seeing dress code information on the website.  It is foreseeable that the website will show, in pictures, the dress code and provide English and Spanish subtitles.  This would help ELL’s and Special Education students, who have reading difficulties to see what the dress code at Turning Point is. Further, it would reduce the stress that occurs between all stakeholders from misunderstandings concerning dress code.

References

Florida Center for Instructional Technology. (2004). A teacher’s guide to school web sites. University of South Florida, College of Education. Retrieved from http://fcit.usf.edu/websites/chap1/chap1.htm

Jurkowski, O. (2004). School library website components. Tech Trends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 48(6), 56–60.

Lewin, K. (1946). Action research and minority problems. Journal of Social Issues, 2(4), 34–36.

McKenzie, J. (1997). Why in the world wide web? Reasons for schools to create web sites. From Now On The Educational Technology Journal. Retrieved September 15, 2012, from http://fno.org/mar97/why.html

Miller, S., Adsit, K. I., & Miller, T. (2005). Evaluating the Importance of Common Components in School-Based Websites: Fr... Tech Trends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 49(6), 34–40.

EDLD 5397 Week 3 Web Conference Reflections

Dr. Gary Martin moderated this week's web conference. 

       The web conference this week was very informative and reassuring.  Among other things, Dr. Martin discussed policies concerning research with human subjects and Lamar’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), our action research progress so far, and keeping life balanced as we continue on to the completion of our year long internship.
       Just as an aside, one of the major concerns of students in this week’s web conference was the text boxes in our assignments.  The boxes were not expanding enough to contain all of the students work.    
        Dr. Martin discussed approval of projects, but that one of the main points of our assignment this week was to discuss IRB and the efforts institutions make to protect research subjects. Dr. Martin indicated that most of our research was not going to violate IRB policies.  However, he recommended talking to administrators about our research about any research policies our districts may have.        
       After discussing IRB policies, he talked about publishing our research and that would be something that could be added to our professional vitae.  He also mentioned that Lamar is trying to create an online repository of examples of students past action research.  The idea being that it would be beneficial for colleagues not only for modeling of research for first time researchers, but also for those that may have a similar problem or need for action research on their campuses.
       Lastly, Dr. Martin said that he wanted to let us know that this class was meant to be a “heads up”, and that our work did not have to be perfect at this time.  Dr. Martin also pointed out that many of our colleagues at work will be watching to see what we do and will be, somewhat, judging us and our administration training program at Lamar.  He suggested that we do not wear ourselves out as we go through our long term internship and to be sure and keep life balanced.
       I went away from our web conference feeling confident that I was making progress, but that I wished that I was farther along with my project associtated with the research. Time goes on and as my colleagues at work and I get busier, completing the research project in a timely manner gets more difficult. I am enjoying the process as Dr. Martin suggested that we might.

EDLD 5397 Week 2 Web Conference Reflections

        Dr. Martin discussed Instructional Leadership Development (ILD) training.   I found out that ILD Training is a 36 hour training required for beginning administrators seeking certification as PDAS appraisers.  He said that this training could be taken online, at Lamar, or at various region service centers. I believe that Dr. Martin said that we would have to have this training before Lamar would allow us to take our principal certification exam.  I feel that it would be essential for new principals to understand the appraisal system.  He discussed Epic vs. Blackboard.  Dr. Martin also discussed the fact that we should have been contacted by our field supervisors.  I have not been contacted by my field supervisor.  He said we should email Dr. Benavidez.   Dr. Martin discussed the Practice Lamar Comprehensive Exam (PLCE) and encouraged us to watch the reviews.  I found out that the PLCE was a part of our assignment this week and not the test that needs to completed for permission to take our principal certification.  The LCE must be taken and passed with a score of  80 or better. Dr. Martin encouraged us to contact him or anyone else in the faculty and that they really enjoyed working with students.

EDLD 5397 Week 1 Web Conference Reflections

      Dr. Gary Martin moderated the week 1, web conference. He began by discussing the transition from Epic to Blackboard. I felt a little relieved as he began to explain the course. Dr. Martin discussed reflection and suggested that we should reflect often as we completed internship activities. He discussed the length of the internship program and the benefits of that. He indicated that we would be discussing our evaluation with our campus supervisor, but that it would be finalized in our last course. Further, he said that we would be updating our internship plans in this course. It was reassuring to know that we could adjust our plans to add other activities that we have had the opportunity of experiencing.
       Dr. Martin also talked a little about how to document our hours. He said that Ed Tech students should update their logs, as should all students, and keep them backed-up. Dr. Martin mentioned that one student had lost their data completely. It made me think, I have a backup system, but I did have a question about Blackboard. Epic allowed for downloading of their system, but Blackboard does not. The learning platform of Epic is on my computer and so are the first few courses. I can go back and see the work published by others and myself. I do not believe Blackboard allows the downloading of the learning platform. That means I will need to find a way to save our discussions if I want to keep a copy of my colleagues suggestions and work.  
       Dr. Martin discussed that action research papers are usually five to ten pages long. That he would help us publish them if we desired to.       
       Finally, he discussed the Practice Lamar Comprehensive Exam (PLCE). He talked about the Lamar Comprehensive Exam and that there were tutorials available. I got the impression that we should take the PLCE and try to make an 80 or better, but it was not essential. He seemed to say that those of us who had only taken technology courses would be at a disadvantage, but that it would be advantageous for us to take the PLCE.