Action research is a systematic, collaborative process to decision making that garners buy-in from the participants because they have a strong part in creating the process. From reading the two textbooks, Leading with passion and knowledge: The Principal as Action Research by Nancy Fichtman Dana, Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps from analysis to action by Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie Combs, and the article, Action research: An Effective Instructional Leadership Skill for Future Public School Leaders, I have learned that action research is very different from traditional research. I was very relieved to discover that action research was a collaborative process that involved practitioners from the campus working together to identify and pose solutions that eventually lead to action steps solving a particular issue rather than the traditional style of research that rarely involves a practitioner in a capacity other than the observed subject and is typically not of use to a classroom teacher.
Because I have discovered that I have a task-oriented leadership style, the step-by-step process that action research provides will be useful in creating a strategic plan for any school where I serve on the leadership team. In addition, I believe action research will help me use different types of data, in unison, to make practical decisions about campus issues such as how to involve more minorities in math and science, or the effectiveness of professional learning communities as a vehicle for sharing best practices.
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