Action Research Update

My initial project was to improve the after school STAAR math tutorial that we called The Commended Club.  I had conducted interviews with the students that attended the tutorials, the math teachers and had pulled the math STAAR score of the students that failed.  Over the summer, the administration decided to dissolve that after school program and instead give the targeted students an extra period of math.  For my new action research project, my Campus Improvement Specialist and I came up with a teacher mentor program.  The program is designed for students that are repeating a grade, failed any of the STAAR tests, and/or failed the first nine week grading period.  The first grading period will end in three weeks, and at that time, we will assign every teacher on campus at least one student.  The teacher will set up meeting times that are convenient to their schedules and work with that student on an individual basis to help set them up for success.  Academically, these students have many programs in place to help them succeed.  Our thoughts are now focusing on what we can do to build better relationships with our struggling students.  We want to show them we care about them as a person as well as being successful as a student.  Before pairing teachers and students, we will conduct surveys of both to see who will be the best fits.  We don’t want this to feel, for the students or the teachers, like this one more thing they have to do.  We want it to be an encouraging and productive use of time to help build the relationships amongst our students and teachers.