Action Research Plan

I.              Setting the Foundation—I work at a Title I campus southeast of Houston. Therefore, we have plenty of opportunities for parental involvement, but sadly the kids who need more attention are the ones who are not getting educational support from the home. My classroom, grade level, and school campus is the foundation and climate in which to put my action into place. I hope to foster an easier way for parents to be involved with what is going on in the classroom.

II.            Analyzing Data—I plan to look at the correlation between parental involvement and reading levels, grades, and scores on standardized tests. I plan to use informal data like sign-in sheets from parent orientation, open houses, school events, etc. My grade level as a PLC often share information and trends dealing with parental involvement in their own classroom as well.

III.           Developing Deeper Understanding—There is an abundance of research already completed on parental involvement and how it affects a child’s education. I plan to delve deep into the research in hopes of discovering new ideas or new wonderings to further my studies in my action research topic.

IV.          Engage in Self-Reflection—I began asking myself, “Am I really involving every parental unit in my classroom?” Of course, you are in contact with parents of the students who are having behavior issues or failing grades, but have I really fostered a relationship with each of my students’ guardians. “Should I be doing more to reach the ‘unreachable parent’?”  In my self-assessments through the first course of my master’s program, I unsurprisingly noted that I am much more aware and focused on task rather than people. I need to learn to foster relationships with those who are stakeholders in my classroom and my campus.

V.            Exploring Programmatic Patterns—What happens when a teacher/counselor/administrator has done everything in their power to foster parental involvement, but the other shareholder is not cooperating? As my supervisor pointed out, involved parents (especially in Title I schools) seems to be more like just “icing on the cake” now. Yes, it is a blessing, but it may not come from every family in our building. The question may no longer be, “How can the campus and the home work together for the good of the child?” but yet “What can we do, even without any parental help, to still give a quality education to every student behind our walls?”

VI.          Determining Direction—I am attempting to solve the ever-growing gap between school and home. I will be using personal updates between myself and the guardians of my students. I will foster the desire for my students to teach their families at home what we are learning in class. I will be improving my communication skills to enhance my focus on people-not just task. I will use the other teachers and administrators around me in a collaborative approach.

VII.         Taking Action for School Improvement—I will include in my research literature reviews of districts which isolate a student holiday simply to meet with parents. This may be a future recommendation to my own district depending on the results found in research.

     VIII. Sustain Improvement—I hope that my successes through this research will become habit in my every year of teaching and when I become an administrator.