Leading with Passion and Knowledge : The

While much has been written about the effectiveness of action research for improving the practice of teachers, few resources exist for leading principals through the process to strengthen their professional development and their role in school improvement efforts.Best-selling and award-winning author Nancy Fichtman Dana guides principals in identifying and exploring areas of interest for research, including staff development, curriculum development, individual teachers, communitylture building, leadership skills, building management, and school performance. With a step-by-step approach, this resource:Helps principals develop a question, collect and analyze data, and share the results of their inquiry with school faculty, the district, and the broader education communityIncludes numerous examples of actual principal inquiry to illustrate each step of the research processProvides exercises to guide principals through their own inquiry projectsUse this proven method of professional development to continually cultivate your craft and improve school performance!

List of Figures and Tables	p. vii
Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xv
About the Author	p. xix
Administrator Inquiry Defined	p. 1
What Is Administrator Inquiry?	p. 2
How Is Administrator Inquiry or Action Research Different From Traditional Educational Research?	p. 4
What Is the Relationship Between Administrator Inquiry and Principal Professional Growth?	p. 9
What Are the Benefits of Engaging in Inquiry?	p. 11
How Do I Find Time to Engage in Inquiry as a Principal?	p. 15
What Are Some Contexts That Are Ripe for Principal Inquiry?	p. 19
Chapter 1 Exercises	p. 27
The Passions That Drive Your Journey: Finding a Wondering	p. 29
Where Do I Find My Wonderings and Questions?	p. 30
Some Cautionary Notes	p. 64
Chapter 2 Exercises	p. 69
The Road Map: Developing a Data Collection Plan	p. 71
Data Collection Strategy 1: Quantitative Measures of Student Achievement (Standardized Test Scores, Assessment Measures, Grades)	p. 72
Data Collection Strategy 2: Field Notes	p. 74
Data Collection Strategy 3: Interviews	p. 77
Data Collection Strategy 4: Documents/Artifacts/Student Work	p. 84
Data Collection Strategy 5: Digital Pictures	p. 84
Data Collection Strategy 6: Video	p. 86
Data Collection Strategy 7: Reflective Journals and/or Weblogs	p. 87
Data Collection Strategy 8: Surveys	p. 89
Data Collection Strategy 9: Literature	p. 93
When Do I Collect Data, and How Much Do I Collect?	p. 95
Chapter 3 Exercises	p. 98
The Navigation of Uncertain Terrain: Analyzing Data	p. 105
Confront the Data Analysis Task	p. 106
Take Control of the Data Analysis Task by Keeping It Simple	p. 108
Follow Four Steps to Data Analysis	p. 113
Have Colleagues Help in the Process	p. 118
An Illustration of the Data Analysis Process	p. 123
Chapter 4 Exercises	p. 132
The Travelogue: Sharing Your Work With Others	p. 135
Why Is It Important to Share My Work With Others?	p. 135
With Whom Do I Share My Work?	p. 137
How Do I Share My Work?	p. 141
What's Important to Share?	p. 163
Chapter 5 Exercises	p. 170
The Continuing Journey as "Head Learner": Assessing the Quality of Inquiry	p. 171
Why Is It Important to Assess the Quality of My Work?	p. 172
What Is the Difference Between Generalizability and Transferability?	p. 173
How Do I Go About Assessing Practitioner Research Quality, and Why Is It So Difficult to Do?	p. 176
What Are Some Quality Indicators for Practitioner Research?	p. 179
What Are Some Ways of Enhancing Inquiry Quality?	p. 184
Chapter 6 Exercises	p. 187
References	p. 195
Index	p. 203
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Leading with Passion and Knowledge : The Principal as Action Researcher

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