What I Have Learned About Action Research

    Action research is a systematic approach of collecting data and then using the data to solve a particular issue. As a band director I use a similar process on a daily basis. Every time my band plays, I am listening to make sure my students are playing the correct notes and rhythms. I am constantly evaluating my group while they play. I stop and try different ways to correct the problems and then the band plays again. I listen and evaluate and then make corrections again. This happens many times on a daily basis.
   As an administrator, I can use this process to a larger degree with an action research project. I will evaluate and "wonder" about  the effectiveness of the programs on my campus. I will gather data concerning the specific questions and concerns I have about my campus. I can then reflect on the data and implement the solutions I feel will work best for my particular campus. Just as I continue to listen and correct my band, I will continue to evaluate the programs at my school and make adjustments.
  I can see myself personally using action research for at least two different projects. as a student and principal intern, I would use action research to investigate the effectiveness of a new program on my campus. This programs involves pulling students from electives to make-up missing homework assignments. The goal is getting the work done and keeping students from failing. I want to see if all teachers are using this program, if the students are indeed passing their classes, and how the elective teachers are dealing with the students missing their elective classes.
  As a principal of my own school, I would like to do an action research project concerning the higher test scores of students in band, choir and orchestra programs. The SAT scores of the average all-state musician are 400 points higher than the average Texas student. Why is this so? Are the students in these activities more motivated? Are they smarter? Do they come from homes with more money or parent involvement? Could just being in a music class make students more successful? This is an action research project I would like to address, but I would have to be an actual principal with the resources and power to implement such a project.