Greetings,
My chosen research of Classroom Referrals and its effect on student achievement is opening up more complex questions for me rather than developing a conclusion. Each and everytime I think that my data points in one direction, my topic seems to become unfocused.
For example, the wondering is easy enough in itself. The original question is when we give a student an office referral and they are removed from the classroom for any length of time, is classroom achievement minimized for that student? The data certainly points in that direction as TAKS scores are directly related to the attached referrals. However, new questions then arise. Why is the student misbehaving? What are the alternatives for punishment? Do teacher behaviors support the campus vision? Are staff members and PARENTS willing to accept responsibility for student behavior? Are teachers allowed control inside their classroom? Is there consistency in enforcing discipline? And, these are just a few that come to mind.
This is where I get off task and find my mind wondering and rambling. One colleague of mine made a very good analogy. One of my biggest concerns with the research was to be very careful and try to avoid any conflict among my colleagues as conflict resolution is not my strong suit. I was really worried about throwing a stone in the calm pond and causing ripples. But, as my friend stated, "Calm and still waters become stagnant"! This was very interesting and did make complete sense as change and progress are often married to disagreements and opposite trains of thought.
Now back to how we can decrease teacher office referrals and increase student performance. I am open for suggestions because I do need some input as I don't have a clue at this point on possible remedies. I suppose you could just make it a rule to never punish a student with an "outside the classroom" consequence, however, is this acceptable? I am starting to see a trend in my study that indicates a good majority of teachers simply want the undesired behavior to cease rather than a punishment phase. On the other hand, opposite research shows that a few of our colleagues desire a public display of ultimate punishment. I just finished reading What Great Teachers Do Differently by Todd Whitaker and it was simply amazing and has helped me a great deal with this inquiry.
The time is rapidly approaching that I must start determining direction and sustaining improvement or else the project has been taskless. I do have a roadmap and just hope that I can stay within the navigational beacons.
Ricky
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Waiting For Superman
This is a real eyeopener in education. The theme really arose my attention. Please Watch! So many of our schools in America are so fortunate.
Ricky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKTfaro96dg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_QRxKAs_a4
Ricky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKTfaro96dg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_QRxKAs_a4
Action Inquiry-Classroom Referrals
SCHOOL VISION: To Promote Success for All Students
GOAL: To decrease the number of student office referrals and increase student achievement.
OUTCOMES
ACTIVITIES
RESOURCES/ RESEARCH TOOLS NEEDED
RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS ACTIVITIES
TIME LINE
Benchmarks/
ASSESSMENT
Revisions to SIP/PIP based on monitoring and assessments
Setting the Foundation
Identification of and a concern for the need of an improved plan for discipline management after discussions with the campus principal. The amounts of classroom referrals are viewed as problematic.
The Lee Middle School Online Referral Software
Ricky B. Eades
Elaine Stribling
Jay Law
October 2010
Analyzing Data
Data will be gathered from both past and ongoing student office referrals. Also, comparative middle schools with similar social economics will be studied.
The Lee Middle School Online Referral Software.
Peims Software for Texas Schools.
Ricky B. Eades
Jay Law
November 2010
Developing Deeper
Understanding
The data will be desegregated according to:
Gender
Ethnicity
At Risk
Limited English Proficiency
Learning Disabled
Regular Education
Gifted And Talented
Student Taks Score
Month Of Year
Day Of Week
Time Of Day
Teacher
The Infraction
The Lee Middle School Online Referral Software
Ricky B. Eades
Jay Law
November 2010
Engage in Self Reflection
I will ask myself several questions.
Are teacher referrals seen as a problem pertaining to student achievement on the Lee Middle School campus?
Can I get campus buy in to solve this problem?
Lee Middle School 7th grade teachers
Ricky B. Eades
November 2010
Exploring Programmatic Problems
Discuss with my campus supervisor the results of the gathered data. I will lay out my findings and the problem areas of greatest concern. The remedies of fixing the office referral problems could create frustrations among teachers. How do we ease those feelings while promoting a successful school climate?
A committee composed of Administrators, Teachers, Parents, and Students.
Ricky B. Eades
Elaine Stribling
December 2010 –January 2011
Determining Direction
The data has made obvious the need for change. Students that are absent from class due to discipline do not perform to satisfaction. The new direction will be the enhancement of our already placed discipline management system at Lee Middle School. The current policy of Out Of School placement will be modified to increase student achievement.
The Lee Middle School Online Office Referral Software.
TAKS Data
Ricky B. Eades
Elaine Stribling
Jay Law
January 2011
Taking Action For School Improvement
The Diana Day Vision Management Program will be improved upon.
Diana Day Vision Management
Ricky B. Eades
Elaine Stribling
Jay Law
February 2011
Sustain Improvement
A complete set of new data will be gathered based upon the changes. The data will be shared with all campus personnel. The correlation between student achievement (TAKS Scores) and student discipline placement will be evaluated.
The Lee Middle School Online Discipline Referral System.
2011 TAKS Data
Ricky B. Eades
Elaine Stribling
Jay Law
May 2011
GOAL: To decrease the number of student office referrals and increase student achievement.
OUTCOMES
ACTIVITIES
RESOURCES/ RESEARCH TOOLS NEEDED
RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS ACTIVITIES
TIME LINE
Benchmarks/
ASSESSMENT
Revisions to SIP/PIP based on monitoring and assessments
Setting the Foundation
Identification of and a concern for the need of an improved plan for discipline management after discussions with the campus principal. The amounts of classroom referrals are viewed as problematic.
The Lee Middle School Online Referral Software
Ricky B. Eades
Elaine Stribling
Jay Law
October 2010
Analyzing Data
Data will be gathered from both past and ongoing student office referrals. Also, comparative middle schools with similar social economics will be studied.
The Lee Middle School Online Referral Software.
Peims Software for Texas Schools.
Ricky B. Eades
Jay Law
November 2010
Developing Deeper
Understanding
The data will be desegregated according to:
Gender
Ethnicity
At Risk
Limited English Proficiency
Learning Disabled
Regular Education
Gifted And Talented
Student Taks Score
Month Of Year
Day Of Week
Time Of Day
Teacher
The Infraction
The Lee Middle School Online Referral Software
Ricky B. Eades
Jay Law
November 2010
Engage in Self Reflection
I will ask myself several questions.
Are teacher referrals seen as a problem pertaining to student achievement on the Lee Middle School campus?
Can I get campus buy in to solve this problem?
Lee Middle School 7th grade teachers
Ricky B. Eades
November 2010
Exploring Programmatic Problems
Discuss with my campus supervisor the results of the gathered data. I will lay out my findings and the problem areas of greatest concern. The remedies of fixing the office referral problems could create frustrations among teachers. How do we ease those feelings while promoting a successful school climate?
A committee composed of Administrators, Teachers, Parents, and Students.
Ricky B. Eades
Elaine Stribling
December 2010 –January 2011
Determining Direction
The data has made obvious the need for change. Students that are absent from class due to discipline do not perform to satisfaction. The new direction will be the enhancement of our already placed discipline management system at Lee Middle School. The current policy of Out Of School placement will be modified to increase student achievement.
The Lee Middle School Online Office Referral Software.
TAKS Data
Ricky B. Eades
Elaine Stribling
Jay Law
January 2011
Taking Action For School Improvement
The Diana Day Vision Management Program will be improved upon.
Diana Day Vision Management
Ricky B. Eades
Elaine Stribling
Jay Law
February 2011
Sustain Improvement
A complete set of new data will be gathered based upon the changes. The data will be shared with all campus personnel. The correlation between student achievement (TAKS Scores) and student discipline placement will be evaluated.
The Lee Middle School Online Discipline Referral System.
2011 TAKS Data
Ricky B. Eades
Elaine Stribling
Jay Law
May 2011
Action Plan Template
Action Planning Template | ||||
Goal: To decrease the number of student office referrals and increase student performance. | ||||
Action Steps(s): | Person(s) Responsible: | Timeline: Start/End | Needed Resources | Evaluation |
Target the Lee Middle School 7th grade office referrals. Desegregate the data according to: Student Gender Ethnicity At Risk Limited English Proficiency Learning Disabled Regular Education Gifted and Talented Student TAKS SCORE Month of Year Day of Week Time Of Day Teacher The Infraction | Ricky B. Eades Jay Law | October 25th/ November 23rd | The Lee Middle School Online Referral System | The data will be analyzed and the results posted here once the process is complete. |
Create a committee of administrators, teachers, parents, and students to discuss the results of the gathered data. | Ricky B. Eades Elaine Stribling Jay Law | November 29th/ December 17th | The Lee Middle School Site Based Decision Committee. The Lee Middle School PTO and the Lee Middle School Safe School Ambassadors. | The committee will evaluate and discuss possible solutions to the problem. The evaluation will be posted upon completion. |
The further development and enhancement of a school wide discipline management system that promotes the success of all students. The Out Of School Placement Program will receive modifications. | Ricky B. Eades Elaine Stribling Jay Law Diana Day Steve Gill | January 3rd/ May 15th | Diana Day’s Vision Management Program. | The comparison of student referrals and TAKS scores will be evaluated. |
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Highlights this Week
Greetings,
The course work at Lamar continues to be intriguing. I find myself tired yet satisfied with the new learning that engulfs me. The Action Research episode is slowly starting to sink in. The more that I both read and listen tends to reconcile with what I already practice. I often have wondered if the world of education will ever take a reversal role from what it is now. But, what would that role be? What should we change and where would we start? The most obvious suspects are student achievement, school climate, and parental involvement. But, these are just a few of the aspects that would impact our climate of education. The words of the day are RIGOR, RELEVANCE, And RELATIONSHIPS!
These three values should guide the educator to obtaining excellence. The ultimate questioning for inquiry should be how will student achievement be gained? The idea or thoughts of "well, at least I made a difference with one child" are over. We are at a point now of affecting all students regardless of their economic status. The “Status Quo” is over!
The Action Research that I will begin will dive into the bowels of school climate. I want answers tomorrow and will gather data diligently to obtain my goal.
Ricky
The course work at Lamar continues to be intriguing. I find myself tired yet satisfied with the new learning that engulfs me. The Action Research episode is slowly starting to sink in. The more that I both read and listen tends to reconcile with what I already practice. I often have wondered if the world of education will ever take a reversal role from what it is now. But, what would that role be? What should we change and where would we start? The most obvious suspects are student achievement, school climate, and parental involvement. But, these are just a few of the aspects that would impact our climate of education. The words of the day are RIGOR, RELEVANCE, And RELATIONSHIPS!
These three values should guide the educator to obtaining excellence. The ultimate questioning for inquiry should be how will student achievement be gained? The idea or thoughts of "well, at least I made a difference with one child" are over. We are at a point now of affecting all students regardless of their economic status. The “Status Quo” is over!
The Action Research that I will begin will dive into the bowels of school climate. I want answers tomorrow and will gather data diligently to obtain my goal.
Ricky
Friday, October 15, 2010
Research Ideas-Purpose And Significance
Purpose And Significance Research Ideas
Purpose #1The bullying issues at middle schools are a constant concern to everyone. The uninvited behaviors are not diminishing to any great extent. The purpose of this research would be to ask why school bullying is still rampant and the problem is growing instead of dwindling. My immediated plan is to gather data from middle school personel on the number of reported bullying cases. These reports will be both analyzed and classified into groups. The consequences or punishments given to the bully will also be considered.
Significance #1The benefit of this inquiry will effect school safety. The wish is for the school family including leaders, teachers, students, and parents to have a feeling of security. The main benefactor would be the individual students who feel unsafe or afraid at school. The reversal of these emotions would orchestrate less absenteism, higher student performance, and overall happiness.
Purpose #2
How to decrease the ever increasing number of office referrals on a school campus. The purpose of this inquiry will be to gather data on the number of referrals given for misconduct on a yearly basis. The research will also study the time of day and days of the week that the highest percentage of office referrals are written. The data can be segregated and a possible hypothesis formed.
Significance #2
The importance of this study would be to increase student performance by decreasing the amount of time the student spends in the referral office. When the student is outside the classroom learning is not taking place. Thie findings of this inquiry could possibly also benefit the entire school if the data provides us with any type of pattern. Perhaps a new discipline management concept could be put in place.
Purpose #3
This purpose will concern the placement of middle school students in summer school. Each and every year hundreds of students attend summer school from 6th - 8th grade. This research will study the effects of this program. The summer students will be tracked to obtain data as to whether progress is noted the next school year. Also, data will be gathered to see if the same students are repeating summer school from year to year. The overall usefullness of the program will be examined.
Significance #3
The summer school program is a fairly costly endeavor. The resulting conclusions could possibly enhance the significance of this education. It could also prove to be underachieving in its' purpose. The person receiving the most benefit from the inquiry would be giving the student the chance to be successful their next school year. The teacher also gains from having a student well prepared for subject curriculum.
Purpose #1The bullying issues at middle schools are a constant concern to everyone. The uninvited behaviors are not diminishing to any great extent. The purpose of this research would be to ask why school bullying is still rampant and the problem is growing instead of dwindling. My immediated plan is to gather data from middle school personel on the number of reported bullying cases. These reports will be both analyzed and classified into groups. The consequences or punishments given to the bully will also be considered.
Significance #1The benefit of this inquiry will effect school safety. The wish is for the school family including leaders, teachers, students, and parents to have a feeling of security. The main benefactor would be the individual students who feel unsafe or afraid at school. The reversal of these emotions would orchestrate less absenteism, higher student performance, and overall happiness.
Purpose #2
How to decrease the ever increasing number of office referrals on a school campus. The purpose of this inquiry will be to gather data on the number of referrals given for misconduct on a yearly basis. The research will also study the time of day and days of the week that the highest percentage of office referrals are written. The data can be segregated and a possible hypothesis formed.
Significance #2
The importance of this study would be to increase student performance by decreasing the amount of time the student spends in the referral office. When the student is outside the classroom learning is not taking place. Thie findings of this inquiry could possibly also benefit the entire school if the data provides us with any type of pattern. Perhaps a new discipline management concept could be put in place.
Purpose #3
This purpose will concern the placement of middle school students in summer school. Each and every year hundreds of students attend summer school from 6th - 8th grade. This research will study the effects of this program. The summer students will be tracked to obtain data as to whether progress is noted the next school year. Also, data will be gathered to see if the same students are repeating summer school from year to year. The overall usefullness of the program will be examined.
Significance #3
The summer school program is a fairly costly endeavor. The resulting conclusions could possibly enhance the significance of this education. It could also prove to be underachieving in its' purpose. The person receiving the most benefit from the inquiry would be giving the student the chance to be successful their next school year. The teacher also gains from having a student well prepared for subject curriculum.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Action Research
Greetings Readers,
I have been blessed this week with the introduction of Action Research. Action research could best be described as the desire for change developed by inquiry. The beauty of the method is that it allows the person and not the system to orchestrate the result. As opposed to traditional educational research, the action based promotes continued learning and a need for a satisfied conclusion. The art of reflection is heavily implemented and self-improvement skills are utilized. The problem with old time educational research is that it is often out-dated and inconsistent with the problem at hand. The researched material may come from the writings of people way less experienced than the person looking for a solution or conclusion. The inquiry system teaches us to "take the bull by the horn" and discover for ourselves. You are not taking someone elses ideas and blindingly hope that they work. However, there is a downside to becoming an action researcher. It might perhaps cause you some problems if you go overboard with your conclusions. The central administration may already have set in concrete their own solutions to pertinent problems. Thus, the word of the day is "Inquiry" and not "Directive". The researcher is simply using a collaborative approach to solving a problem.
Blog's such as this one could be used as an awesome tool for communication to faculty, students, and parents. The informal sharing of information such as Blogs, Tweets, Messaging, and Email can travel to audiences worldwide in seconds. Let us not forget the power that we have before us!
Have A Great Day,
Ricky
I have been blessed this week with the introduction of Action Research. Action research could best be described as the desire for change developed by inquiry. The beauty of the method is that it allows the person and not the system to orchestrate the result. As opposed to traditional educational research, the action based promotes continued learning and a need for a satisfied conclusion. The art of reflection is heavily implemented and self-improvement skills are utilized. The problem with old time educational research is that it is often out-dated and inconsistent with the problem at hand. The researched material may come from the writings of people way less experienced than the person looking for a solution or conclusion. The inquiry system teaches us to "take the bull by the horn" and discover for ourselves. You are not taking someone elses ideas and blindingly hope that they work. However, there is a downside to becoming an action researcher. It might perhaps cause you some problems if you go overboard with your conclusions. The central administration may already have set in concrete their own solutions to pertinent problems. Thus, the word of the day is "Inquiry" and not "Directive". The researcher is simply using a collaborative approach to solving a problem.
Blog's such as this one could be used as an awesome tool for communication to faculty, students, and parents. The informal sharing of information such as Blogs, Tweets, Messaging, and Email can travel to audiences worldwide in seconds. Let us not forget the power that we have before us!
Have A Great Day,
Ricky
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