EDLD 5301 Week 2 Action Research Reflection

As I was looking at the courses for the educational administration program at Lamar University I have to admit this research course intimidated me more than any of the others.  I was worried I would not be able to come up with a topic that has not been researched on my campus.  I teach in a very large school.  The district has many people that are constantly looking for ways to improve each campus.  I originally only considered doing research over areas involving curriculum.  As I was reading the text Leading with Passion and Knowledge by Nancy Fitchman Dana, I realized there are many areas on my campus that I previously did not consider.  The book mentions nine areas that are ripe for action research.  These areas include: Staff Development, Curriculum development, Individual teachers, Individual students, School Culture, Leadership, Management, School Performance, and Social Justice (2009).  One research topic I did not consider until reading the text came to mind involving individual students.  Our district has a summer program for students that want to get-ahead in mathematics.  I have heard many of my colleagues mention that they feel this program is not adequately preparing these advanced students for the next class.  One research topic that should be considered on our campus should be "How does the online summer get-ahead mathematics program affect the performance of the students in their future math classes?"  I really feel this topic would be very valuable for the students and the school.      

Dana, N. F. (2009).  Leading with passion and knowledge:  The principal as action researcher.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.