In the thick of it...

In April 2013, I took the first step toward my action research plan in which I asked teachers on my campus to complete a brief survey concerning how we currently mentored new teachers and what they would like to see in the future.  Over the summer, I disaggregated the data from the surveys.  I then began my research of how I would set up the new teacher mentoring program at my school.  Since it had to be put into place by the beginning of this school year, August 2013, it was necessary that I do all of my research over the summer.  I spent a lot of time looking into different programs online as well as one that several of my colleagues had recommended call TXBESS (Texas Beginning Educator Support System).  I received two TXBESS training manuals which had to be at least five inches thick.  I did glance through them, and I even used several of the handouts; however, the most important thing that I learned from it was what I DIDN’T want to do, which is overwhelm the mentor and mentee with a huge training binder.  My main focus was to keep the program to the point and versatile, while still providing the mentee with what he or she needed.  While researching, I called the Region V Service Center and found that they use a training program called PACT (Performance-based Academic Coaching Teams) for their mentors in the emergency certification program.  It was developed at Texas A&M and is completely online.  It is also free.  I contacted the IT director for our district and had him set me up in the PACT system so that I could research its ease of use and subject material.  I found it to be very user friendly and uncomplicated.  After speaking with the Region V representative again, I also found out that any mentor who completes the four required modules will receive $300.  Since one of the issues I had with my plan was the payoff mentors would receive for volunteering their time, this was a huge and very exciting discovery.  I continued to research other school districts that had programs posted online.  I pooled some of the things I found together, along with my own ideas, to create a new teacher mentor training that would also incorporate the PACT website.  What I developed basically consists of a checklist for each six weeks that the mentor and mentee complete together.  Depending on whether or not the teacher is a first year teacher or a new teacher to our district, the topics may differ.  There are also classroom observations included for the first year teachers.  They will both observe and be observed to help them improve.  A couple of weeks before school started, I asked my site supervisor, our higher education coordinator, and a veteran teacher to look over the program and give me feedback.  I received some wonderful feedback and was able to implement the changes they suggested.  I also met with one of the mentors and went over the program with him earlier than the other mentors.  He too was able to give me some very useful feedback to improve the program.  Our district hosted a staff development day two weeks before school started in which teachers were asked to present.  I was approached by a veteran teacher who wanted to do a motivational presentation on how to keep teachers inspired from those “aha” moments in a teacher’s career.  She had heard about what I was doing and thought it would tie in well with her presentation.  I was able to present my program several times that day to teachers of all grade levels.  The next week, my site supervisor allowed me to meet with the mentors and mentees separately to explain the program.  During this presentation, I used a computer to show them how to navigate the PACT website.  I made it very clear that this was a pilot program and that I wanted feedback from both mentors and mentees.  I only developed the program for the first, second, and third six weeks periods.  I plan to use the feedback that I will be receiving from the mentors and mentees to create the fourth, fifth, and sixth six weeks at a later date.  I am very pleased with the results I have seen so far.  I have been told by at least three of the mentors that things are going very well, and they like the setup so far.  They have also said that this was a much needed program and were thankful to have some guidelines to follow.

A Good Start!

Well, I took on my first action step this week of my action research plan.  My principal allowed me to have a few minutes of the faculty meeting to present what I plan to research as well as the BRIEF survey that I wanted them to do.  I made absolutely sure that they understood that the survey was very brief and greatly appreciated!  I have received a few back but have not looked at them that closely yet.  Several teachers felt inclined to speak to me personally concerning their thoughts, which was of great help.  I can already see that I have tremendous support from my campus.  It is something that they believe desperately needs improvement.  So, with that being said, I am off to a good start!!

Closing Thoughts & Reflection...

When I began EDLD 5301, I had never heard of action research.  However, after reading the text, I was able to understand what it was and how useful it could be for an administrator and/or teacher to use to solve problems on his or her campus.  I really found the numerous examples of action research and how they were implemented very useful in creating my own action research plan.  I also found the videos from the three past graduates of the Education Administration Master’s Program very interesting and insightful.  It helped to hear about their current inquiries in action.  Their experience with action research also helped to substantiate that it actually works and isn’t just a theory put into an educational textbook.   I also enjoyed the comments made by my peers on the discussion board.  Most all of them gave really good feedback.  It is helpful to share with others who are going through the same successes and mistakes that you are.  You realize that you are not the only one who is experiencing struggles.  One of my favorite parts of the course has been the blog.  I will admit that I was not as positive about it when I first read that we had to create one ourselves.  As I said in my discussion post this week, I always had the impression that blogs were difficult to create and took a lot of time to keep up with.  I appreciate the suggestions that I have received from my fellow classmates and have found them to be helpful and honest.  I also had the opportunity to visit with a veteran administrator who helped to guide me through the development of my action research plan.  She provided me with numerous suggestions and ideas that helped me to complete my first draft.  This was especially helpful since our plan was due over the spring break holiday when my site supervisor was not available.  The key, she said, was making sure it was focused, objective, and that my outcome was understood and doable.  Meetings with my site supervisor have also been extremely helpful.  He recommended my topic for action research, so he is very interested in accomplishing and reaching a successful outcome.  He has been very helpful with feedback to the plan itself as well as offering time during faculty meetings for me to have focus group discussions.  He realizes that this action research will benefit our school and is willing to do whatever it takes to help me make it successful.  I find that this is a good example of how working together and collaborating can make for a productive principal and faculty.  If everyone realizes that they are working toward the same goal, educating our students in a lifelong learning environment, things run smoother and the goals of the school are met.

A Work in Progress...

After taking some of the suggestions of my readers, site supervisor, and IA, I have updated my action research plan.  I am happy to report that my site supervisor is completely on board...woo hoo!  Everything is finally coming together, and I feel like I am on the downhill slide!  I would still like ANY feedback that you might have to offer.  I know that changes will be ongoing, but that is part of making the research and implementation successful!  Thanks for the feedback all of you have provided so far!!

Action Planning Template
Goal:  Provide mentor training to increase sustainability of the new teacher mentoring program and provide support to new teachers which will integrate new them into our school and decrease turnover and attrition
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Discuss action research plan with site supervisor and get written approval to conduct the research	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris—Principal	March – March 20, 2013	Action Research Plan	n/a
Develop brief surveys and/or questionnaires for mentor teachers and new teachers concerning the 2012-2013 (current) new teacher mentoring program	Casey Hancock	April 1– April 30, 2013	Survey Monkey and/or hard copy surveys and questionnaires	n/a
Lead a focus group discussion on the current new teacher mentoring program with mentors/mentees during end of faculty meeting	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris—Principal	April 1– April 30, 2013	Focus group questions	Reflection of the results of the discussion
Collect data on mentor teacher training programs available to our school	Casey Hancock	May 1 – May 31, 2013	Interviews and internet research	List of the mentor training programs available to our school
Coordinate with site supervisor on mentor training available and choose a program	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris—Principal	May 1-June 28, 2013	Interviews I completed in May, 2013 along with the Internet research	Chosen mentor training program
Develop activity logs where mentors and mentees  will record info from weekly meetings, which will be turned in at the end of each six weeks	Casey Hancock	July 1 – July 31, 2013	Activity Logs	n/a
Distribute activity logs to mentor/mentee teachers	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris—Principal	August 1 – August 31, 2013	Activity Logs	Reflection on the attitude with which the activity logs were received by the mentors/mentees; Analyze activity logs
Distribute mid-term surveys to mentors/mentees to see if the program is showing success	Casey Hancock	December 1 – December 17, 2013	Survey Monkey and/or Hard Copy Surveys and Questionnaires	Analyze the surveys and report/discuss the data collected with site supervisor
Based on surveys in December, conduct separate (mentor/mentees) focus group meetings during the end of a faculty meeting for suggestions on how the program could be improved	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris—Principal	January 5 – January 31, 2014	Completed Surveys or Questionnaires	Reflection on the attitudes, successes, & failures of the program for the first semester
Distribute activity logs to mentor/mentee teachers, which will include date ranges for them to meet	Casey Hancock	January 5 – January 15, 2014	Activity Logs	Reflection on the attitude with which the activity logs were received by the mentors/mentees
Distribute questionnaire to mentors comparing new teacher mentoring program for '12-’13 and ’13-‘14	Casey Hancock	April 1 – April 15, 2014	Questionnaires	Analyze the questionnaires and report/discuss the data with site supervisor
Concluding activity, etc. for mentors/mentees who participated in the program	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris—Principal	May, 2014	Funds to provide “payoff” for mentor teacher and/or to have an end of year celebration	Reflections by the mentor and mentee about the new mentor teacher program

How can training for mentor teachers increase sustainability of a new teacher mentoring program and decrease turnover and attrition?

Please, please let me know your true thoughts about this action research plan!  I had the opportunity to discuss it with an educator friend who is close to retirement.  She had so much good information that helped me to focus!  I look forward to hearing some of your thoughts as well...good and bad!

Action Planning Template
Goal:  Provide mentor training to increase sustainability of the new teacher mentoring program and provide support to new teachers which will integrate new them into our school and decrease turnover and attrition
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Discuss action research plan with site supervisor and get written approval to conduct the research	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris	March, 2013	Action Research Plan	n/a
Develop surveys and/or questionnaires for mentor teachers and new teachers concerning the 2012-2013 (current) new teacher mentoring program	Casey Hancock	April, 2013	Survey Monkey and/or hard copy surveys and questionnaires	n/a
Lead a focus group discussion on the current new teacher mentoring program with mentors/mentees	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris	April, 2013	Focus group questions	Reflection of the results of the discussion
Collect data on mentor teacher training programs available to our school	Casey Hancock	May, 2013	Interviews and internet research	List of the mentor training programs available to our school
Coordinate with site supervisor on mentor training available and choose a program	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris	May-June, 2013	Interviews I completed in May, 2013 along with the Internet research	Chosen mentor training program
Develop activity logs to be distributed to mentor/mentee teachers	Casey Hancock	July, 2013	Activity Logs	n/a
Distribute activity logs to mentor/mentee teachers, which will include date ranges for them to meet	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris	August, 2013	Activity Logs	Reflection on the attitude with which the activity logs were received by the mentors/mentees
Distribute mid-term surveys to mentors/mentees to see if the program is showing success	Casey Hancock	December, 2013	Survey Monkey and/or Hard Copy Surveys and Questionnaires	Analyze the surveys and report/discuss the data collected with site supervisor
Based on surveys in December, conduct focus group meeting for suggestions from mentors/mentees on how the program could be improved	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris	January, 2014	Completed Surveys or Questionnaires	Reflection on the attitudes, successes, & failures of the program for the first semester
Distribute activity logs to mentor/mentee teachers, which will include date ranges for them to meet	Casey Hancock	January, 2014	Activity Logs	Reflection on the attitude with which the activity logs were received by the mentors/mentees
Distribute questionnaire to mentors comparing new teacher mentoring program for '12-’13 and ’13-‘14	Casey Hancock	April, 2014	Questionnaires	Analyze the questionnaires and report/discuss the data with site supervisor
Concluding activity, etc. for mentors/mentees who participated in the program	Casey Hancock, Jon Burris	May, 2014	Funds to provide “payoff” for mentor teacher and/or to have an end of year celebration	Reflections by the mentor and mentee about the new mentor teacher program

Organizing the Plan...

I am diligently working on getting my action research plan organized.  I will admit, once again, that I am having some difficulty in pulling it all together.  I am looking forward to this weeks web conference to clear up some uncertainties I am having.  I would be interested if any of you that are following my blog have a preference on the type of template you are going to use and why you like it better.  I am trying to decide at this point and am not sure if it really makes much of a difference.  I'll be glad when I get this done and turned in!!  Have a great week!

A Lesson Learned

When you first start the week in a course that only lasts five weeks total, it's pretty intense and overwhelming to say the least!  My goal is to tackle one piece at a time, and usually by the middle of the week, I'm feeling OK about everything.  We are now into week 2, and the intensity with which I started the week was just as apparent this week as last.  The second part of our week 2 assignment asked that we provide one example of action research from nine passions in which we might find our first wondering or inquiry for action research.  It looked really tedious, but as I went through the assignment and typed up my answers, all of these inquiries started to come to mind that I could resarch myself or share with others..."Wouldn't it be cool if we researched X and implemented a program? or "Our economically disadvantaged kids would really benefit if we did X? or "My son and daughter's school would really benefit from a study on X."  I have to admit that action research did not sound very appealing to me in week one.  In fact, it sounded like a lot of work, but the more I have read and considered how it can help improve so many parts of a school, I think it is definitely worth the time and effort!!