Action Research Project
Process overview
All of the following steps correspond to the Harris st al. text, but also address aspects of the Dana text as noted.
Examining the work: Setting the Foundation – Bridge City ISD is a small district with a growing population of LEP students. We currently have established a bilingual program with an ESL pullout. Most of the LEP students are Hispanic and are economically disadvantaged. I am a presently a bilingual kindergarten teacher with 18 LEP’s. Many of my parents do not feel comfortable participating in school events and are confused about the school environment, parent and student expectation, and the Bridge City ISD culture. There is no district translator and the only campus personnel who speak Spanish are also full time classroom teachers. The language barrier and lack of Spanish translated material only exaggerates the problem. I would like to have more involvement and assess the benefits of the involvement by reviewing sign in sheets and surveys returned. If we research these areas and can find accurate answers we will see that involving the parent of a bilingual student will allow the bilingual student more room for growth academically and socially. The student will receive reinforcement at home and support. LEPS are also those students that the state has labeled at risk. LEPS are also part of the low economically disadvantaged groups. We usually see lower state test scores and a higher dropout rate. Involving parents and educating them in the importance of an education and their child’s future will help these students be more successful in the school environment.
Analyzing data – According to the Dana text School culture/community is one of the nine wonderings of school leaders. Inquiry concerning school climate or what Dana calls “School culture” is an important aspect of a school administrators job. The school culture shapes teachers staff and students. It affects the community and the daily routines of all involved. The principal must understand the school culture to better evaluate the need to shape or reinforce it. Valuable aspects of school culture can be reinforced or revitalized. (Dana 46) The school culture is experiencing change due to the growing numbers of LEP students. The school/district needs to find a way to incorporate them into the school culture.
I have asked the parents of LEP students to tell me what can be done to remedy some of the discomfort and help them understand the expectations and culture to help their child at home and in general with the everyday school environment. I have created a power point presentation and presented my findings and rational to my superintendent why an afterschool meeting with the LEP parents would be beneficial for the LEP student and parents. Parent involvement is very important for the economically disadvantaged student and even more so because they are also LEP students. Data shows that LEP students and economically disadvantaged students will have higher rates of failure and dropout. Providing needed services and making a comfortable environment for the parents will improve overall success of the student.
Engaging in Self-Reflection – It is important to reach the Hispanic community and LEP parents to form a positive community culture. I have blogged about the themes we have learned and applied much of what I have learned to begin and complete an action research question. According to the Dana text research inquiry is the preferred method of educational research. While the other two methods are antiquated and allow for an outsider to come in, research inquiry allows the administrator to take matters into their own hands. Being hands on will allow me to assess the problem from the inside and hopefully be the catalyst for change. Using this method I will be able to connect with the parents of LEP’s and pass on their needs and assessments of the school environment to administration. I will then be able to form some kind of agenda to present them with the information that will allow for better communication between the school environment and home. Judging the success of my project can be very difficult. It is left up to the parent to attend and as a school administrator you can only do so much to get them involved. I am in the process of creating a survey and look forward to meeting with Hispanic parents at the February 11th Parent Fair my district is holding. I really think research inquiry is going to help me find a way to reach the Hispanic parents which in turn will have positive effects on my Hispanic students.
I learned that action research is not just a research paper as it once was thought to be. Instead it is a new method where you can dig deeper and ask questions that may have never been asked before. It allows for evaluation and ongoing changes to occur. I learned that it is very easy for an action researcher to lose sight of their actual question because so much information and or research can come up posing even more action research questions. You must stay focused and approach one question at a time.
I learned that action research is not just a research paper as it once was thought to be. Instead it is a new method where you can dig deeper and ask questions that may have never been asked before. It allows for evaluation and ongoing changes to occur. I learned that it is very easy for an action researcher to lose sight of their actual question because so much information and or research can come up posing even more action research questions. You must stay focused and approach one question at a time.
The program has taught me my weaknesses and strengths. I have had to look with in my own experiences and thoughts to develop an action research question that I was interested in and felt that I could be successful in. Parent involvement is a big piece of the administrators puzzle. It is an ongoing daily struggle to educate our parents on the school environment.
Exploring Programmatic Patterns – LEP numbers are on the rise across the state. Many of the smaller districts do not have the bilingual personnel to help create a welcoming environment.
Social justice is an ongoing area that must be evaluated by an administrator. Reaching out the economically disadvantaged parent will help the student according to ongoing research found in Ruby Pains work and other scholars. Darling, S., & Tileston, D.W. “Why Culture Counts: Teaching children of poverty.” Discusses the importance of reaching parents and claims that there is a positive trend in the economically disadvantaged student when parent involvement is reached.
Determining direction – My question is how to receive more parent involvement from parents of LEP students?
a. The skills and resources needed are all present and able to be acquired. Meeting their demands or needs will still have to be assessed as soon as we survey parents and assess our resources to meet the demands. Helping them feel comfortable and providing needed services may in turn grow the parent involvement number of the parent trying to be reached.
b. I have established a working relationship with the Superintendent and my site supervisor. The District supports more parent involvement having myself as a bilingual presenter for the Hispanic parents is advancement in reaching the Hispanic non English speaking parents.
c. My research action project is a very ripe and is in the beginning stages. I believe that I have set a firm foundation. Parent involvement is an ongoing goal of most school districts. It is cannot measured as successful because you will never have 100 percent. Offering them an opportunity to be involved and help with understanding is all we can do. They will have to apply it and use it to help their child be successful.
d. As parent needs are met I will continue to evaluate the future needs that may arise therefore continuing active parent involvement with trust between both parties.
Taking action for school improvement – I will meet with the LEP parents and hold a Spanish session at the February 11, 2013 Parent Fair. I will help with basic translations and answer any questions that the bilingual parent may have. I will hold to sessions and hand out a survey to assess basic needs they believe would be beneficial to them as the parents of LEP’s. I will then assess the requests and present my findings to my site supervisor. Depending on the needs and resources available every effort will be made to meet the needs of the parents and build a positive parent school relationship during the May parent fair that will close out the school year.
Sustaining improvement – Ongoing outreach meetings and communication will be necessary to build a strong relationship between the non-English speaking parents of the LEP students and the school. Holding a session in their native language thru out all three district parent fair meetings will build a strong foundation for future positive communication and the assistance they need. I believe that I have set up a basic foundation for future parent involvement expectations. My only concern is that the success of my efforts will be hard to judge. I will only have closing surveys for the parents after the sessions and will also keep track of the parent sign in sheet numbers. I will compare the amount of parents for each session and report my findings to my supervisor and administration.
