Action Research Plan!!!

Question: In light of local perceptions of equity problems on our campus and considering that current research has found that African American students with emotional or behavioral disabilities are most likely to be suspended (Krezmien, et al. "Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders". 2006.) -in what ways does our current use of In-School-Suspension and Off-Campus-Suspension for disciplinary referrals affect specific student sub-population's academic performance?

Target Population: students assigned ISS/OSS for disciplinary referrals (I choose to investigate these students because they are missing instructional time when completing their disciplinary assignments. We are supposed to provide work for students in disciplinary settings, but I know that -all too often- there is insufficient work provided by the student's teachers; special education students are still guaranteed their modifications on work completed in ISS, but I don't know if they are. So, establishing a link between ISS/OSS participation and academic performance (see: reading level!) should provide valuable and persuasive information.)
Selected Sample: 10 ISS & 5 OSS "Frequent Fliers" from grades 6 & 7 selected for further, in-depth investigation of academic performance and abilities (I am selecting from grades 6 & 7 for these in-depth investigations because the 8th grade students will have moved on to high school...perhaps...and would be difficult to interview. Further, I am choosing twice the number of students from the ISS setting becuase the total number of students in ISS is vastly greater than those suspended off campus.)



Goal:Gather and process local ISS/OSS, student sub-grouping, and academic performance data; draw conclusions based on data-relationships and share findings of action research project with stakeholders and peers.






Activity I: Gather and process ISS/OSS disciplinary data via TEMS (Tyler Education Management Solution); classifying data into age, gender, program status, and race ; evaluate for trends, patterns or interesting artifacts.

Person(s) responsible: Alan Burd *self*.
Timeline: August-October, 2010.
Resources: access to TEMS data systems; time for data disaggregation and reflection.
Monitoring: Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, 30 minutes/day (3:30-4:00), Action Research Project Work Time.
Assessment: Final Activity I product detailing ISS/OSS data for grades 6-7, '09-'10 school year.

Activity II: Use data from Activity I to identify the 10 students who spend the most time in ISS and 5 students who spend the most time in OSS; gather and process academic data (grades, attendance, reading level) for these students; evaluate for trends, patterns or interesting artifacts; if possible, interview these students regarding their ISS experiences, their feelings & thoughts about academics and -specifically- reading.


Person(s) responsible: Alan Burd *self*.
Timeline: September - November, 2010.
Resources: data from Activity I; student academic records (names eliminated and case numbers assigned for privacy); time for data disaggregation and reflection.
Monitoring: Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, 30 minutes/day (3:30-4:00 or 4:00-4:30, if needed), designated Action Research Project Work Time.
Assessment: Final Activity II product detailing findings of ISS/OSS disciplinary and academic performance correlations for 10 ISS/OSS "Frequent Fliers".

Activity III: Survey of literature, professional blogs, and web resources.

Person(s) responsible: Alan Burd *self*.
Timeline: August-December, 2010 (ongoing).
Resources: public library access; ERIC Digest access; internet access & personal laptop.
Monitoring: Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, 30 minutes/day (3:30-4:00 or 4:00-4:30, at least), designated Action Research Project Work Time.
Assessment: Blogged reflections on a minimum of 5 scholarly/professional articles/studies, 5-7 professional blogs, and up to 10 web-sites or other web-based resources.

Activity IV: Dissemination of / Sharing Action Research Findings Final Product.

Person(s) responsible: Alan Burd *self*.
Timeline: December, 2010.
Resources: personal laptop & internet access; professional blog; $50 (personal resources) to print and prepare Action Research hard copies to distribute to local stakeholders; contact information for at least three professional journals.
Monitoring: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:30-4:30 throughout December, designated Action Research Project Work Time.
Assessment: Blog entries, including reflections on data and literature; posting of final product (findings) on personal-professional blog; at least 10 hard copies of final product (findings) distributed to campus, district, and community leadership; appropriately composed article detailing findings submitted to at least three professional journals for consideration.