What I have learned about action research.

Action research is the ideal way for an educator to bring about change in schools.  It allows the educator a systematic way to propose an issue, do research on the issue and come up with a solution for the issue.  The research can be done in an individual or a group setting.  It can also solve problems from a single classroom to areas that affect an entire district.  Action research allows for change to happen at the classroom or school level and is initiated by the educators that it affects.  This is very different from the traditional research model where the schools’ issues are discussed by individuals that do not have firsthand knowledge of the classroom or school.  Since the research is done by the educators that it affects, the results are much more meaningful and the solutions are more readily applied.  This allows for greater improvement and greater buy-in from the affected educators.  Action research also gives the educator an opportunity for personal reflection on their teaching styles, and it gives the educator more personalized and meaningful results.  All of this change and improvement in the educator and the school as a whole benefits the students in a way that would not be possible with traditional research.