Final EDLD 5301 Reflections

Throughout this course, I have been privileged to attend the Rigor, Relevance and Relationships Leadership Conference, assist with staff development for opening day and facilitate a district content curriculum staff development session. I feel like opportunities for leadership are surrounding and propelling the action research wheels into full spin. This last week I was also blessed to attend the district teacher leader/department chair in-service day titled “Growing Leaders.” Each of these new challenges and tasks has placed action research at the front of my future educational goals. For once, I feel motivated, inspired and ready to be the best teacher leader and future administrator I can be. I have a vision of taking my professional career into the next level and I most certainly can attest Education Leadership 5301 has been a positive reinforcement.
First, the interviews with various administrators have been very insightful and helpful. I feel like I learn most from building relationships with people. Meeting other administrators and learning from their leadership ups and downs has been very beneficial. I also feel like interviewing my own campus administrators gives me a chance to talk candidly with how to apply my own solutions to current campus issues and concerns. It is important for administrators to know teachers are ready to address campus problems, especially being willing to work for a positive solution.
Additionally in this course, I feel like the discussion board topics were very relevant. I appreciate our class’s commitment to openly share ideas and comments. I learned from many of my colleagues that they, too, share the same campus concerns for at-risk students. I am thankful to know that despite our geographic location, we all share similar obstacles and challenges.
The resources and tools for this course also seemed very on point and useful. The reflection and blogging is a real world example of how rapid technology and communication are transforming education. Using these tools in this course gives professional educators a chance to explore, enhance, and encourage technology throughout action research as well as incorporating another tool in our teacher tool belt.
In my most recent in-service day an assignment was given to prepare a leadership philosophy. This seemed very pertinent and appropriate, but also necessary. I plan to use leadership to seek potential in others, inspire and motivate the unmotivated, and plant a seed for optimism in the hopeless. Barack Obama said this about leadership; “I shall lead from the back, so that others may rise to their full potential in front of me.” I believe bringing the best out of others proves a great leader has made their mark. Leading is a selfless act engaging determination, passion and support.

Final Action Research Plan

At-risk students overcoming adversity both in academics as well as in extra curricular activities

Action Research Plan (final)
submitted by: Stephanie Lyle

Goals and objectives:
1) Define at-risk student population
2) Select case study from extra-curricular contents of dance, band, choir
3) Identify common denominators for success in at-risk students
4) Validate student’s primary obstacle consisting of: financial, parental, emotional, and/or societal challenges.

Target Population:
Selected case study of at-risk students will be in grades 10, 11, 12 cross sector of extra-curricular activities including dance, band, choir

Activities designed to achieve the objectives
1) Gather data from Economically Disadvantaged List provided by Associate Principal to locate number of at-risk (ED) students in dance, band and choir. This report will also include free/reduced lunch data as well as residential coding
2) Interview Director of Instruction, lead counselor and behavioral intervention specialist to analyze predominate common threads
3) Survey Monkey for Fine Art extra-curricular students (dance, band, choir, theater, speech/debate, video-tech, art, journalism) posing questions in regard to intrinsic motivation, drive, willingness to excel
4) Part II survey monkey for entire group of dance, band, choir students to compare/contrast answers in non at-risk population vs. at-risk population. Determine if achievement pattern is equitable specifically in motivation, drive, and will
5) Observe rehearsals and practices
6) Analyze attendance data, discipline data and academic data for selected sample case study
7) Survey Fine Art department teachers to identify testimonials
8) Discussion group (focus group) of CFISD dance team directors sharing success stories of at-risk students. What, how, why in their opinion did the student succeed?


Resources and research tools needed for data gathering
1) Selected case study progress reports, report cards, attendance and discipline data
2) Student resumes
3) Journal articles
4) Magazine articles
5) Personal interviews for campuses
6) Bill Daggett- International Educational Foundation newsletter
7) NASSP’s newsletter
8) Texas Dance Educator’s Association Executive Board consultation
9) Survey Katy ISD ‘Leaders to the End’ email group from dance team district social training
10) Analyze data from student, director and colleague surveys

Draft timeline for completion or implementation of activities
September 2010-June 2011

Persons responsible for implementation of the action research plan:
Stephanie Lyle, Fine Arts Department Chair, dance team director
Stephanie Meshell, Associate Principal
Martin Drayton, Assistant Principal liaison for Fine Arts
Larry Matysiak, Director of Secondary Music, Cypress Fairbanks ISD

Process for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives:
Personal mentor/mentee meetings with selected case study once a six weeks
Director journal entries
Interview with case study group (invite parents to attend)
Celebrate successes and attend concerts, performances, and shows
Analyzing academic reports each six weeks to monitor grade consistencies
District focus group continuation at mid-term to share, blog, re-connect


Assessment instrument(s) to evaluate the effectiveness of the action research study
At-risk counseling team meetings lead by campus counselors
District leadership council
Case study testimonials
Student Evaluations and Exit- level performance evaluations for dance, band, choir
Individual student recognition for leadership, performance and academics
Potential scholarship recipient (s) of selected case study
Create out-reach for at-risk students involved in extra-curriculars (add to Campus Improvement Plan) where 12th grade students mentor incoming 9th grade students