Wednesday, February 9, 2011

TIMELINE

Date timeline
Year 1 –
Research similar programs and initiatives and Collect data
Consult with other staff members who has implemented similar programs
Meet with administrator to arrange logistics of group meetings
Design criteria for selection of students
Preliminary meeting with students
First interview
Make modifications
Collect data on campus

Year 2-
Implement programs
Collect data
Assess the data and relate to objective/goals
Make modifications

Year 3 –
Make modifications
Collect data

Persons responsible
Assistant Principals (grade level) Jennifer Collier
Intern, Erica Robinson
Counselor, LaWanda Jenkins

Process of monitoring goal and objectives
Test data
Attendance of pep rallies
Number of students involved in extra-curricular activities
Number of students who attend homecoming

Assessment instrument to evaluate effectiveness
Attendance records from year to year – activity to activity
Enrollment in college or technical programs
Student survey

ACTION PLAN

Action Planning Template
Goal: In which ways are incoming freshman students affected/impacted when given a newly designed WELCOME BOOKLET to inform them of events, people, and traditions going on with their classmates on campus? Do interventions, peer support groups and modeling help in this process? What affects do small leadership and mentor groups have on incoming Freshman students?


Action Steps(s):
Person(s) Responsible:
Timeline: Start/End
Needed Resources
Evaluation
Create inquiry for action plan
Erica Robinson, intern
January 2011
Resources from EDLD 5301, observations
Approval from site supervisors
Obtain approval for my action research plan from my site supervisors


Jennifer Collier, Assistant Principal

Lance Stallworth,
Principal
January 2011
Draft of action research plan
Approval from site supervisors
Discuss logistics of group meetings (time, place) and get approval from principals
Jennifer Collier,
Assistant Principal
Jennifer Collier,
Assistant Principal
January 2011
Draft of action research plan, master schedule for


Create criteria for selection of students participating
Erica Robinson, intern and leadership group



Recruit students from a leadership group on campus
(sophomores)
Erica Robinson, intern and the (sophomores) and leadership group



Conduct a preliminary meeting with students to discuss goals and obtain feedback
Erica Robinson, intern

Jennifer Collier,
Assistant Principal



Conduct biweekly group meetings
Erica Robinson, intern



Facilitate creation of “action plans” for group members (sophomores)
leadership group



Facilitate student investigation of helpful information for freshman
leadership group and Erica Robinson, intern



Survey students in group
leadership group and Erica Robinson, intern



Interview students in group
leadership group



Report findings to site supervisors
Erica Robinson, intern

Jennifer Collier,
Assistant Principal



Analyze helpful changes for next year
Erica Robinson, intern and the administration / staff

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

I am certain of a few factors that contributed to these changes, but am not fully aware of everything that went into making the “high” amounts of school spirit obvious one year and “low” the next. I am curious to know what are the biggest contributing factors leading to such changes. I also need to research how to better prepare the incoming freshman of the traditions that our school follows each year, from activity to activity throughout each sports season.

This study would allow me to see what is helpful for the freshman to know, in order to better prepare them for the activities and events that take place on and off campus. I would conduct the research and then gather the most crucial “what freshmen need to know” information and later compile it into a welcome packet. It will helpful to discover how to improve their knowledge by providing a hand guide to these traditions and events, possibly a calendar, and then plan on delivering the information right when they arrive to campus.


The first step in this process will be to conduct surveys in order to give them a voice. I am excited that this project would do just that. The reading last week really gave me some insight on ways that action research can be viewed as a valuable tool rather than more busy work for the staff that is involved in collecting the data. The sample for this group will be Freshman and Sophomores, and the size of the sample will be approximately 10 sophomores and 10 freshman.
My plan is to present the “what freshmen need to know” information and the finished packet to the administrative team, so that they can possibly use it for the next incoming class of students. This information will benefit teachers, in order to better understand what freshman need help with.

This information will help me to actually gather and collect the information for presentation in the packet. The research will help the freshman, to be better equipped with tools they need to understand the on campus activities and traditions of Spring Woods High School.

WHAT DO YOU THINK, SUGGEST, or WANT TO COMMENT ON?

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

“what freshmen need to know”

This study would allow me to see what is helpful for the freshman to know, in order to better prepare them for the activities and events that take place on and off campus. I would conduct the research and then gather the most crucial “what freshmen need to know” information and later compile it into a welcome packet.

It will helpful to discover how to improve their knowledge by providing a hand guide to these traditions and events, possibly a calendar, and then plan on delivering the information right when they arrive to campus. My goal is find out: In what ways are freshman students affected/impacted when given a newly designed WELCOME BOOKLET to inform them of events, people, and traditions going on with their classmates on campus?

The first step in this process will be to conduct surveys in order to give them a voice. I am excited that this project would do just that. The reading last week really gave me some insight on ways that action research can be viewed as a valuable tool rather than more busy work for the staff that is involved in collecting the data. The sample for this group will be Freshman and Sophomores, and the size of the sample will be approximately 10 sophomores and 10 freshman.
My plan is to present the “what freshmen need to know” information and the finished packet to the administrative team, so that they can possibly use it for the next incoming class of students.

This information will benefit teachers, in order to better understand what freshman need help with. This information will help me to actually gather and collect the information for presentation in the packet. The research will help the freshman, to be better equipped with tools they need to understand the on campus activities and traditions of Spring Woods High School.