Action Research
According to Dana (2009), action research is a valuable tool that administrators use to improve their schools and communities. In order to improve schools, administrators must make changes. In action research, this change is based on inquiry. Administrative inquiry is the “systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice” (page 2). Action is then taken on what is learned from the research. The research includes collecting data, using relevant literature, implementing a change or changes, reflecting on the change and sharing the results.
Traditional educational research, whether process-product or qualitative, is derived by persons outside of the school and limits the roles of the practitioners, administrators and teachers. Action research is derived and conducted by administrators and teachers on their own campuses. The initial inquiry comes from within and not from an outside source that does not have a vested interest in the local outcome.
Dana, N. F. (Thousand Oaks). Leading With Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher. 2009: Corwin.
Blogs and Leadership
Whether a leader works as part of an on-site management team or in isolation, such as an elementary school principal, blogs have become an effective method for leaders to share their ideas and communicate with each other. Whether a peer is across town or across the country, blogs make the distance between writer and reader irrelevant. Blogs have also lead to the creation of collegial relationships among peer groups where collaborative communication takes place beyond the pages of an online blog.
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