Action Research Plan - Are Virtual School Course as Effective as the Traditional Classroom?

Virtual School Improvement
Goal: To provide a rigorous and effective curriculum similar to the regular classroom for students enrolled in the virtual school/ To provide the tools for high student achievement for all students enrolled in the virtual school
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Interview the academic counselors to gather more information about the students enrolled, how are students chosen for virtual school, etc.	Brooke Knight and Patty Carden	December 12, 2011 - December 16, 2011	journal to gather data, set up meeting time with group or each counselor	Collaborate with my site supervisor and assistant site supervisor on if there are more effective ways to select students for virtual school
Interview our virtual school facilitators – ask about concerns, ways they feel improvements can be made, etc.	Brooke Knight	December 12, 2011 - December 16, 2011	journal to gather data, set up meeting time to meet as a group with the facilitators or each facilitator separately	Collaborate and reflect with my site supervisor and assistant site supervisor on ways we can improve the virtual school program after interviewing the facilitators
Observe students during virtual school class session.	Brooke Knight	December 12 2011 – April 6, 2012 (ongoing through the end of 3rd Quarter)	journal to gather information and take notes, plan time slots to observe students during each class	Reflect on common trends found among students
Interview at least 3 students enrolled in each virtual school course. Allow students to share about their experience, any concerns they may have, or how they would improve the course.	Brooke Knight	December 12 2011 – January 26, 2012 (end of 2rd Quarter)	journal to gather information and take notes, set up meeting times with selected  students	Reflect on common trends found among students. Collaborate with my supervisors about the concerns of students.
Survey all students enrolled in the virtual school coursework.	Brooke Knight and Holly Freeman	December 12 2011 – April 6, 2012 (end of 3rd Quarter)	SurveyMonkey, analysis software, and virtual school student email addresses	Collaborate with my site supervisor and assistant supervisor about students’ concerns and recommendations about virtual school and draw conclusions from the data.
Survey all teachers and give them the opportunity to voice their opinions on ways to improve the use of virtual school.	Brooke Knight/Holly Freeman	January 29, 2012 – April 6, 2012 (end of 3rd Quarter)	SurveyMonkey, analysis software, and teachers’ email addresses	Collaborate with my site supervisor and assistant supervisor about teachers’ concerns and recommendations about virtual school and draw conclusions from the data.
Survey parents of students enrolled in virtual school course.	Brooke Knight and Holly Freeman	January 29, 2012 – April 6, 2012 (end of 3rd Quarter)	SurveyMonkey, analysis software, and parents’ email addresses	Collaborate with my site supervisor and assistant supervisor about parents’ concerns and recommendations about virtual school and draw conclusions from the data.
Look at the different courses offered through virtual school and compare the content to each course offered in the traditional class. Look for same standards and objectives being addressed and followed. How are labs, discussions, and hands-on application being addressed?	Brooke Knight	December 12 2011 – April 6, 2012 (end of 3rd Quarter)	virtual school courseware – login information	Use comparison data to draw conclusions on where improvements can be made. Use reflection and collaboration with my site supervisors to determine how we can make improvements based on the data.
Grade Comparison - Compare grades of students in the same virtual course. Look for common trends. Look at grades at the end of each quarter.	Brooke Knight and Holly Freeman	December 12 2011 – December 12 2011 - January 26, 2012 (end of 2nd Quarter) January 29, 2012 - April 6, 2012 (end of 3rd Quarter)	Aspen and Gradespeed software.	Use analysis software to create data comparisons that can be used to show need for improvement. Evaluate common trends found amongst the data. Collaborate with my site supervisors.
Grade Comparison – Compare the grades of students enrolled in virtual school to their own grades in non-virtual school classes. Look at grades at the end of each quarter.	Brooke Knight/Holly Freeman	December 12 2011 - January 26, 2012 (end of 2nd Quarter) January 29, 2012 - April 6, 2012 (end of 3rd Quarter)	Aspen, Gradespeed, and data analysis software	Use analysis software to create data comparisons that can be used to show need for improvement. Evaluate common trends found amongst the data. Collaborate with my site supervisors.
Grade Comparison – Compare the grades of students in virtual school to the grades of students in the same course offered outside of the virtual school. Look at the grades at the end of each quarter.	Brooke Knight and Holly Freeman	December 12 2011 - January 26, 2012 (end of 2nd Quarter) January 29, 2012 - April 6, 2012 (end of 3rd Quarter)	Aspen, Gradespeed, and data analysis software.	Use analysis software to create data comparisons that can be used to show need for improvement. Evaluate common trends found amongst the data. Collaborate with my site supervisors.
Look at the Virtual School components and software. Is it easy to follow? Are there ways to make it more student-friendly?	Brooke Knight	December 12 2011 – April 6, 2012 (end of 3rd Quarter)	Virtual School courseware – login information	Reflect on ways the software can be improved. Use the findings from the surveys to draw conclusions and recommendations for improvement.
Benchmark Students in Virtual School and students enrolled in the traditional class. Determine if the necessary material was successfully covered and retained during the duration of the course.	Brooke Knight, Subject-Specific Teachers, and Virtual School Facilitators	April 1, 2012 – April 6, 2012 (end of 3rd Quarter)	Benchmark, Approval from teachers and facilitators to give benchmark during class time	Use analysis software to compare the grades. Look for trends and areas that are not addressed in either class. Collaborate with course-specific teachers on what is missing or not being covered properly.

The Development - Week One

This week I began considering ideas that I could turn into action research projects. I wanted to make sure that I chose a topic that would be beneficial to my campus. Some of our individual student target areas are our AP students, students who are constantly seen on the D-F list, and AA males in relation to their Terra Nova reading and math scores. One of the first topics I considered for research was developing a project that would search for strategies to help increase Terra Nova math scores for the AA male subpopulation. However, after reading about the other possible research projects of other students in the course and talking with my site supervisor, I felt this is a topic that I could gain knowledge in from looking and comparing other projects to our campus. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I felt I could save a few steps and look at how other schools are battling this common trend. Secondly, I considered looking at how our recently implemented attendance policy was effecting our chronically absent students who were often seen on the D-F list. I wondered if the attendance policy was combating the problem and helping students who were D-F students due to absences last year. After speaking with my assistant site supervisor about this topic, he felt it would be a hard project to correlate and find enough evidence due to the policy being so new. Finally, I have decided to look into the virtual school programs and see if there are ways we can make them more effective in preparing students. I have often wondered as we have seen more technology used, if the virtual option is as effective as the traditional classroom model. There are some aspects found in the classroom that are difficult to recreate on a computer.

Possible subtopics I would like to consider in my study are:

• How do the grades of students in a virtual class compare to the grades of students in a traditional class setting for the same course?




• How do the grades of students in a virtual class compare to their own grades in their traditional classes?




• How do the grades of one virtual class compare to the grades of another? Are there courses that are better suited in preparing students for success?




• Are there ways to improve how virtual classes are used on campus?




• Does it take a specific type of student to be successful in virtual school?

Are there other questions that come to mind as you read my list?

What is Action Research and How I Will Use It?

Action research is an interactive reflective cyclical process that can be used by educational leaders to actively inquire about an issue, collect and analyze data, and incorporate change or improvement based on their findings. I have learned that it can be used as an effective learning tool, as well as, used by educational leaders to model learner-centered leadership for their students and staff. This is an important aspect of action research for educational leaders. Allowing your staff to see that as the leader of the school, you are willing to actively seek out solutions or improvements for your school, shows the school community that you require an active role in the success of your campus. Action research calls for collaboration and dialogue amongst the group, which allows staff members and stakeholders to actively be involved in the research process. This can lead to accountability amongst the staff and can serve as a motivator for teacher improvement in the classroom. I have also learned that action research can be used by educational leaders to gain a deeper insight into their leadership role in school improvement and educational reform efforts.

I can use action research to work towards answers to problems and improvements within my school outlined on my Intern Plan. I can use action research in planning effective professional development activities for my campus. Also, I feel that as an intern, getting in a habit of using inquiry and reflection weekly will be helpful in forming healthy habits that will follow me into future educational leadership positions.

Educational leaders can use blogs to collect their ideas as an inquisition unfolds. They can be used as an online diary that can be easily revisited and updated as new developments are made to educational research. Blogs can also be used to allow for personal reflection as well as a way to gain feedback and insight from others interested in or familiar with the given topic.