Action Research for School Leaders, 1st edition
Published by Pearson (December 27, 2011) © 2013
- Dean T. Spaulding
- John Falco
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This action-oriented guide shows current and future school leaders how to:
Get teachers and staff onboard, motivated, and empowered
Learn from examples of how school administrators and leaders have worked to improve buildings and education in general—past, present, and future. (Chapter 1)
Develop the skills they need in their efforts to improve schools. (Chapter 2)
Understand the different types or levels of action research, including action research for the classroom teacher. (Chapter 3)
Develop and use a team approach to building-level action research (the focus of the book) that identifies a problem or issue; examines past research about how best to address the problem; and works to implement, monitor, and research a building-level improvement plan. (Chapter 4)
Use the action research team to dig deeply into the school’s data and identify gaps that need to be addressed (Chapter 5) and then use the action research to incorporate past research into the analysis process—determining how the research can be used by the action research team in developing an effective plan (Chapter 6).
Examine and critique correlational and survey research and determine possibilities about how the action research team can incorporate these two important approaches into their analysis and ongoing work. (Chapter 7)
Determine the role that the elements of qualitative research can play in the action research team’s efforts and ultimately in school improvement. (Chapter 8)
See how school leaders and their action research teams can collect additional self-report data from teachers, staff, and other stakeholders in the school building by using tools such as surveys. (Chapter 9)
Learn to work collaboratively with the action research team to develop a program or action research plan to address identified issues. (Chapter 10)
Implement the program or plan and ensure that the program is being implemented with fidelity. (Chapter 11)
Gather both formative and summative data throughout the action research process. (Chapter 12)
Get a framework for using the logic model as a tool for reflection on the efforts of the leader and the team. (Chapter 13)
Learn from informative case studies that depict the actions of building administrators and school leaders using the five-step action research process presented in the book—and see how to adapt those experiences to the reader’s particular school situation. (Chapters 14 through 17)
Chapter 1
THE ROLE OF SCHOOL LEADERS IN SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT—PAST,
PRESENT, AND FUTURE
           Past to Present
Leadership Matters
Bootstrap Data: Information That Helps
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Questions • Activities
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Chapter 2
USING RESEARCH TO SOLVE THE PUZZLE OF SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT
School Administrators’ Use of Research
Types of Research Administrators Encounter
Applied Research Versus Vendor-Based Research
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Questions • Activities
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Chapter 3
ACTION RESEARCH AND THE INQUIRY PROCESS
What Is Level 1: Classroom-Level Action Research?
Action Research, Naturally
Steps in Level 1: Classroom-Level Action Research
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Questions • Activities
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Chapter 4
SCHOOL-LEVEL ACTION RESEARCH
Steps in Conducting Level 2 School-Level Action Research
Identifying the School-Level Issue
Developing an Action Research Team
Types of Action Research Teams
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Questions • Activities
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Chapter 5
ANALYZING DATA AS AN ACTION RESEARCH TEAM
How to Analyze Data as an Action Research Team
Three Main Data Points for Needs Assessment: An Overview
Analysis Techniques
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Questions • Activities
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Chapter 6
EXAMINING PAST RESEARCH, AND REVIEWING
AND CRITIQUING CAUSE–EFFECT EXPERIMENTAL
RESEARCH
Examining Past Research and Literature
Databases
Selecting from the Review of Literature
Full Text and HTML
The Action Research Team and the Review of Literature
Analyzing the Review of Literature
Creating a Literature Matrix
How to Critique Cause–Effect Research
Experimental Research
How Should Action Research Teams Critique Experimental
Research?
Causal–Comparative Research
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Question • Activities
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Chapter 7
CRITIQUING AND APPLYING CORRELATIONAL AND
SURVEY RESEARCH
Correlational Research
Caution About Drawing Causality
The Correlational Coefficient
Types of Correlational Research
Statistical Significance
Using Correlational Research
Critiquing Correlational Research
Survey Research
How to Critique Survey Research
Survey Design and Development
Adapting and Adopting Instruments from Survey Studies
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Question • Activity
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Chapter 8
CRITIQUING AND APPLYING QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
Qualitative Research
Methods Used for Qualitative Research
Access to Subjects and Settings
Examples of Qualitative Research
Types of Qualitative Research
Using Qualitative Research
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Question • Activity
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Chapter 9
GATHERING DATA FROM STAFF AND OTHER
STAKEHOLDERS
Gathering Feedback with the Survey
Why Feedback Is Needed
Methods for Gathering Feedback
The Survey and the School Administrator
Effects of a Poorly Constructed Staff Survey
Basic Components of a Survey
Tips for Writing Quality Items
Administering and Collecting the Survey
Methods for Administering Surveys
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Questions • Activity
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Chapter 10
STEP 2: DEVELOPING A PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT
Developing Quality Programs and Initiatives
Aligning Need to Program Activities
Introduction of the Logic Models
Why Use a Logic Model?
Logic Model: Basic Building Blocks
Showing Change with a Logic Model
Using Logic Models
Using the Logic Model with Your Action Research Team
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Questions • Activity
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Chapter 11
STEP 4: IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAM OR
INTERVENTION WITH FIDELITY
What Is Fidelity in Action Research?
Developing a Fidelity Checklist
and Observational Protocol
Evaluating Professional Development
Evaluating the Fidelity of Professional Development
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Questions • Activity
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Chapter 12
STEP 5: GATHERING AND ANALYZING DATA
Gathering and Analyzing Standardized Data
Three Levels of Assessment Data
Different Types of Standardized Measures
How to Critique Standardized Measures
Confusing Reliability and Validity
Applying Different Types of Standardized Measures to
Your Logic Model
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Question • Activity
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Chapter 13
STEP 6: REFLECTING AND MAKING MODIFICATIONS TO
THE PLAN
Reflecting on the Logic Model to Determine Success
Reflecting on Activities
Reflecting on Outputs
Reflecting on Intermediate Outcomes
Reflecting on End Outcomes
The Action Research Team and Making Modifications
Summary • Key Concepts • Discussion/Reflection
Questions • Activities
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Chapter 14
CASE STUDY 1: ADDRESSING HIGH TEACHER TURNOVER
AND LOW STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Background and Personal Characteristics of a
School Leader
Step 1: Forming the Action Research Team
Step 2: Conducting the Data Analysis
Step 3: Conduct a Review of the Literature
Your Turn
Step 4: Collection of Additional Data from Stakeholders
Your Turn, Again
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Chapter 15
CASE STUDY 2: DECREASING THE PERFORMANCE GAP
BETWEEN GENERAL EDUCATION AND SPECIAL
EDUCATION POPULATIONS
Background and Personal Characteristics of a School Leader
Level of Preparedness
Step 1: Forming the Action Research Team
Step 2: Conducting the Data Analysis
Your Turn
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Chapter 16
CASE STUDY 3: ADDRESSING BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS
AND LOW STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Background and Personal Characteristics of a School Leader
Level of Preparedness
Step 1: Establishing an Action Research Team
Step 2: Analyzing the School
Your Turn . . .
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Chapter 17
CASE STUDY 4: IMPROVING LOW ELA SCORES AT THE
ELEMENTARY LEVEL
School Leader
School District
Level of Preparedness
Step 1: Establishing the Action Research Team
Step 2: Analyzing School Data
Your Turn . . .
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Dean T. Spaulding, Ph.D. is an associate professor in educational psychology at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. He teaches educational research methods and program evaluation. He is one of the authors of Methods in Educational Research: From Theory to Practice (2010) and the author of Program Evaluation in Practice: Core Concepts and Examples for Discussion and Analysis (2008). He has conducted program evaluation for the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Labor, New York City Department of Education, and New York State Department of Education, to name a few.
Dr. Spaulding’s evaluation work includes instructional coaches and teacher professional development, E2T2 Technology Integration programs, online professional development (OPD), elementary school counseling programs, Teacher Leadership Quality Partnerships programs, reading and literacy programs, Math Science Partnerships (MSP), STEM, nanotechnology, changing teacher practices through action research, and Model Transitional Programs (MTP) for Students with Special Needs. For the past 15 years he has worked extensively with school-leaders-in-training in the greater New York City area. He continues to work with school data teams and school leaders to improve student performance. Dr. Spaulding also serves as a lead consultant with Z Score Inc. and can be contacted at DSpaulding@zscore.net.
John Falco, Ed.D. currently serves as Director/Faculty of The Institute for New Era Educational Leadership and Innovation at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. In addition to offering course work for New York State School Building Leader certification, The Institute provides professional development opportunities to educators throughout upstate New York.
Dr. Falco has served as Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent in upstate New York, as well as Deputy Superintendent, Principal, and teacher in New York City.
During his career, Dr. Falco has led collaborations that secured over $40 million in federal and state grants. He has served as a principal investigator for a U.S. Department of Education Technology Innovation Challenge Grant and co-principal investigator for a National Science Foundation grant. He has partnered with C-Span and Time Warner on cable-in-the-classroom pilot projects.
Dr. Falco serves as co-editor of K-12 Video-conferencing: Best Practices and Trends (2007). He has contributed chapters to edited books and authored and co-authored research papers and articles in the area of technology. He has presented at conferences including the National Summit for Technology, Washington, D.C.; New York State Council of School Superintendents’ conferences; New York State School Boards conferences; and New York State Reading Association conferences. Dr. Falco’s work has been featured in District Administrator and Education Week, as well as PBS television and Tech Valley Report .
Dr. Falco has won several awards, including being honored by the New York State Computer and Technology Educators as Outstanding Superintendent for 2000–2001. In addition, he was honored as Outstanding Superintendent on the floor of the New York State Assembly and by resolution in the New York State Senate. Dr. Falco received the Malinda Myers Education Partnerships Award from the Schenectady NAACP in 2004. The New York City Council recognized Dr. Falco as Outstanding Citizen in 1992 and on January 6, 2006 was named in his honor by proclamation of the Mayor of Schenectady.
Dr. Falco received his B.A. from City College of New York; and M.S. from Long Island University; an M.Ed. from Teachers’ College, Columbia University; and his Ed.D. from Seton Hall University.
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