Action Plan

Goal: Discover how to implement Student led conferences into the middle school setting to transfer responsibility of parent conferences to student and give the teacher a facilitator role rather than a director role. Encourage ownership of learning and discussion in students and increase buy-in rates for teachers and parents.
Timeline:
Start/End
Needed
Resources
Evaluation
1. Research information regarding Student Led Conferences.
Angela Bilyeu
July 2010 – August 30, 2010
Internet, articles, testimonials
Create an oral presentation introducing the concept to the staff.
2. Research implementation models of Student Led Conferences as well as buy-in techniques to encourage participation.
Angela Bilyeu
August 1, 2010 – August 30, 2010
Internet, research articles, testimonials
Create an oral presentation introducing the concept to the staff and get feedback from the staff on their first impression.
3. Meet with the department heads to outline their department’s responsibility for input on creating the prompt sheets for students.
Angela Bilyeu, departments heads and principals
Sept 1 – Sept. 10, 2010
Sample prompt sheets
Completion of prompt sheets from departments and grade levels if they vary.
4. Send out communications to encourage the students to collect their work to show at the conference. 2 good pieces, 1 needs improvement piece.
Angela Bilyeu, staff, and students.
August 30, 2010 – October 1, 2010
Folders to create students portfolios and a place to store them until we need them.
Student portfolios with prompt reflection sheets and student work samples.
5. Send out communication from school to parents to set up schedules for Parent Student Led Conferences.
Team leaders, parent contact person.
September 15, 2010 – October 1, 2010
Contact information, running spreadsheet on share drive to record scheduled conferences.
A full schedule spreadsheet with parents and students planning on attending.
6. Send out reminder communications in form of email for parent conferences.
Team leaders, parent contact person, and/or team can split this responsibilities.
September 30, 2010
Email contacts for attendees.
Check off on schedule spreadsheet that reminder has been sent.
7. Meet with parents.
Students, Parents, Teachers
October 4, 2010
Room where multiple conferences can be held at once, student portfolios.
Field notes on how conferences are going and observation notes.
8. Survey for parents to give opinion on how the session went and what they can suggest for improvements.
Parents, technology facilitator
October 4, 2010
Computer lab
Data analysis of feedback from parents.
9. Survey to teachers to get their opinions.
Angela Bilyeu, teachers
October 5, 2010 – October 12, 2010
SurveyMonkey, computers
Data analysis of surveys.

Action Research - Week 2

During this week of Action research I learned that it is just a way for us to be life long learners. Which is really what we signed up for when we decided to go into the field of education. It is a way for adminstrators to assist and better our schools, teachers, and community in order to always be willing to improve our students. Our main goal should always be student success, we should never try to recreate the wheel and we should always analyze our sources so that we see where the information is coming from and from what viewpoint. Research is our best tool when looking for solutions to our problems. We need to embrace it instead of shying away from reading articles or typing up google searches. There is great information out there you just need to know how to utilize it to maximize your optimal solution for your school.

How can we use blogs as an adminstrator?

Blogs are wonderful tools that can maximize the learning of out school environment. We can meet without meeting. We can discuss important topics without having to set aside valuable time to meet in person, face to face. Blogs can be used to discuss book studies and also important issues that need to have a variety of opinions considered. Action items that need to be addressed in leadership team meetings can have opinions voiced without having to involve the entire school in a face to faced meeting.

Action Research, How we Can use it

Throughout reading the definition and examples of action research, I truly believe that this is the method to use. Traditional research has you following researchers that do not know what exactly is going on at your school. Their research is a general understanding of created situations. If you as an administrator will work through your own school, and inquire about the “wonders” that you need to address in the end your productivity will be greater and more beneficial. By using the action research we can personalize our work for our schools. We can create our own inquiries and then collect data that is pertinent to our schools. We can get results and answers that are specific to our situations and not gross generalizations. Every school is different and therefore needs to approach problem situations in a personalized matter. This method also helps with the process of reflection, you cannot learn anything until you make a mistake and then you must learn from that mistake, by looking back and reflecting on the actions that are being taken and think how can it be made better next time. By personalizing our research and utilizing reflections our solutions will be more beneficial and will have more buy-in which will in turn help the success of the program solution.