Section 1: Academic Achievement - National Center for School ...

finding. However the 3 rd and 4 th graders had a stronger foundation in reading so those
H&HM students did beat the school average, but not by much. .
The data I collected showed mixed results. The surveys I administered toward the beginning
of the year suggested that students had a solid relationship with peers and staff and a sense of
belonging in the school community. My informal observations suggested that students
achieved varying levels of involvement in their learning, but low levels of engagement.
However, what disappointed me the most was the lack of connections I was able to form with
the curriculum and the limited amount of flexible instructional strategies I was able to
implement.
Conclusion
Although the outcome of this year’s research project went in a completely different direction
than I had hoped, there were still many things to be learned. First and foremost this year
proved once again how resilient kids can be. This research project proved that kids can rise to
high expectations. I found that because of some of the changes which occurred as a result of
the grant. First, I used my instructional time more effectively. Not only was I better at
managing my time, but our ongoing data assessment allowed me to be more focused on the
instructional needs of my students.
While I feel I had success in some areas, it also highlighted areas that I will continue to work
on improving. Student test scores were up, the data showed mixed results, but I strongly
believe that the slip in attitudes, lack of engagement, and limited use of instructional strategies
prevented the students from achieving their full potential of growth. Although limited by the
requirements of Reading First, there are going to be some changes for the 2006-2007 school
year to be implemented. The first is a curriculum change that will allow for my students to
access grade level materials, but also spend part of the reading instructional time in
curriculum that is more appropriate for them. This way the expectation will still be high but
student frustration level will drop. This will allow a little flexibility in the pacing so there will
be more time to find connections to text and redevelop the student’s engagement in the
learning environment while still pushing them to achieve more.
Action Research to Study Homelessness and High Mobility in School Communities 92