One of the big themes in my work is, "Begin with the end in mind." No matter the audience, topic, or timing, we keep the end goal(s) as the main focus. This blends beautifully with the processes needed for a successful Action Research plan. While our question is our starting point, we look ahead to how the question will be answered and ensure that the work along the way is aligned with our end goal. I was in a different role professionally when I started the Innovation Plan project. Within six weeks, I'd received a promotion and learned that not everyone on my team had the tools to successfully buy in and contribute to my initial innovation plan and WIG.
This changed my focus and topic to supporting internal professional learning efforts vs. partner efforts. One thing, I love about the COVA approach and Action Research (Mertler C.A, 2020), is that it does give grace for being able to pivot in this way. Now, the purpose of my study focuses more on how to better improve and build capacity in my colleagues. If I had not had this lens change & and epiphany, my innovation plan would easily have fallen flat on its face. Just as a flight attendant says to put on your oxygen mask before assisting others, I realized we needed to do this within my team. If we didn't have the tools and processes to better assist our teachers, we were just going to be spinning wheels instead of making progress.
Now I feel like I have a better idea to make change with a more developed research question. It is close to my heart and can improve my organization's processes. I can use both qualitative and quantitative approaches to my action research plan's evaluation. On the qualitative side, I have been able to work with other leaders and teammates or colleagues to learn where they would like additional support and in what ways. We are still working on gathering information on how this will impact our external Partners. On the quantitative side, we conduct quarterly surveys on internal processes and procedures that come back to us on scored scales for various topics. I'll know in early September if my team truly found this new process beneficial. Beyond internal surveys, we conduct biyearly surveys to assess the strength through the lens of our external school and family partners. As a Director of Family & Educator Partnerships, I will get the raw and real details and scores at the same that our Board of Directors, Human Resources, and R&D teams see those results. Action Research has given me the peace of mind to know that if the outcome proves positive or needs revising, there is always a next cycle in which to improve.
Mertler, C. A. (2020). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators (6th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.
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