Action Research

I have learned a lot about action research this week. I had never even heard of it until now! It seems only logical to me to use action research as opposed to traditional educational research. The administrators, teachers and their students are the ones that will be directly affected by the possible solutions and outcome. Action research gives a much more “insider” perspective as the inquirers (teachers, students, and administrators) know the strengths and weaknesses of their school as well as the situations that they experience there on a daily basis, as opposed to an outside source making recommendations for a campus that he/she has never even stepped foot on. It is a much more creditable form of research that I personally would believe in much more than a study that was conducted and recommendations that are made from a research team three states away. The people that are “in the trenches” and experience the daily grind of that campus are the best resources for problem identification, data analysis, and implementation for that campus. I look forward to this course and learning more about action research and learning strategies as to how to incorporate it into my journey as a principal.