What have I learned about Action Research? And how can it be used?

Administrative inquiry or more commonly refers to as action research is a process that an administrator used to study their administrative duties and identify any changes that need to be made and what will or can be learned from the inquiry.
Action research or inquiry is necessary for school improvement. According to the text Examining What We do to Improve Our Schools, “the inquiry process, based on logical reasoning, requires the collection of information in a systematic way.” This inquiry process includes thinking and questioning that focuses on school improvement. It is important to recognize the need for improvement which can be reached with action research or inquiry.
The text discusses four contexts that can be used to utilize action research. These contexts are: university coursework, superintendent/district meetings, leadership teams, and professional learning communities.
All of these contexts demonstrate benefits through the use of action research. Each context may have a different venue, but each has its benefits. They all provide insight to “wonderings” that you may have about a certain topic. Action research itself allows a school to go through a process that will produce reflection among the practitioners and improve their work. The research or inquiry will reveal any areas that need improvement and give the administration areas to target for staff development purposes.
As an administrator, just knowing what action research is will be crucial. But more importantly, recognizing the need for improvement within the school will prove to be more imperative. Becoming the “head-learner” of the school should an administrator main goal (Fichman, 2). And using the context previously discussed will be a way to implement action research within the school.
Leadership meetings are a way of utilizing action research or inquiry. It can serve the campus needs in many ways. The team works with the administrator to solve problems, share responsibilities, and make decisions with the administration. This team provides vital opportunities to learn as a team and not as an individual. According to the text, Leading with Passion and Knowledge unless teams can learn, the organization cannot learn.” That statement is very informative and accurate. A school must learn together so that they can grow together, thus students learn as well. Isn’t that the ultimate goal?