Final Inquiry-

Based
Project/Resolving
an Instructional
challenge
Alyssa Thorpe
Instructional Leadership
Kent State University
Instructional
Challenge Middle School Children are not
completing their virtual school
work during the pandemic.
2019-2020
Challenge
1. The instructional challenge was determined
through conservation with my administrator. The
1. How were these challenges
middle school students were not completing
assignments during the pandemic, which got us
determined? thinking about why and how we can solve the
problem.
2. The challenge was prioritized because it was the
2. How were these challenges number one problem. After all, students were not
completing assignments; therefore, how are they
prioritized? learning?
3. The data that was used were the students grades:
a. 7th graders
3. What data supports any claims i. 21 students failed two or more
classes
regarding their existence and/or b. 8th graders
i. 14 students failed two or more
prioritization? classes..
c. Students also are missing multiple
assignments.
Data Total: 8th Graders 53
Total: 7th Graders 61

1. Middle School Children are not 7th Grade 8th Grade

completing their virtual school
work during the pandemic. 21 students failed two or 14 students failed two or
more classes more classes..

Total of F’s for the 4th Quarter

7th Grade 8th Grade

86 57
Research-Based
Professional development with
Solution more engaging activities to
engage students to complete
Solution #1 their assignments.
 Research
It is important to give staff professional development in any area, especially when a new platform is introduced. Since this

pandemic started, some teachers were not properly trained in online instruction. According to 50 Ways to Close the Achievement

Gap, “School-based staff members receive quality training in the curriculum scope and sequence and in the use of curriculum

documents” (Downey, Steffy,Poston and English,2009). The whole point the text is trying to make is you cannot implement anything

in the district without proper training. It would be beneficial to give professional development to all staff members to make their

online classes more engaging. As teachers, we know that engagement is the number thing for students to achieve academic

success. “School engagement has been widely linked to academic achievement” (Gutiérrez,Sancho and Tomás, 2018). We focus a

lot on the achievement gap we need to focus on engaging the students. "Like the achievement gap, the engagement gap is

increasingly seen as something that can be enhanced through the focused efforts of school districts and schools" (Dunleavy,2008).
2-Year Action Plan
Year 1: Year 2 :

❖ First Quarter: ❖ First Quarter:

➢ Before the first quarter teacher will participate in the professional
development. In the being of the year we reflect on how to
incorporate the engaging practices in their curriculum.
➢ Teacher will meet in departments to pick a strategy they will be
using.
❖ Second Quarter
➢ The principal and department will reflect and suggest on how this
strategy is working. The team will have to show data to show it’s
success or failure.
➢ The principal will check in with each department three time out of
the quarter.
❖ Third Quarter
➢ Each department will share their strategy and data to prove its
success.
➢ This will give the other staff members ideas on what is working and
what is not working.
❖ Fourth Quarter
➢ Each depart will collect all the data and reflect on their picked
strategy.
➢ Staff will complete another professional development on
engagement to follow up on the one they completed.
➢ Each department will meet and pick another strategy to
incorporate on their online model.
➢ The department will still use the strategy from year 1 if the
data prove that is was success.
❖ Second Quarter
➢ The principal and department will reflect and suggest on how
this strategy is working. The team will have to show data to
show it’s success or failure.
➢ The principal will check in with each department three time
out of the quarter.
❖ Third Quarter
➢ Each department will share their strategy and data to prove its
success.
➢ This will give the other staff members ideas on what is working
and what is not working.
❖ Fourth Quarter
➢ Each depart will collect all the data and reflect on their picked
strategy .
Research-Based
Building a relationship with
Solution family members to work together
to help students complete their
Solution #2 work during this pandemic.
Research
It is imperative to have parent involvement in your child’s education for academic success during a pandemic or not.

Collaborating with parents is very important during this time, especially. “Parent involvement are important concepts

for schools and positive educational outcomes and are closely related to each other" ( Ertem and Gökalp). To

collaborate with parents, teachers need to build a relationship with the parents; therefore, they can collaborate and

communicate to help them complete their assignments. The saying 'it takes a village' might be valid during this time,

working together will only benefit the students. According to Engaging Community Members in Constructivist

learning: Parent Involvement in the development of a Middle School Science Curriculum, “furthermore, parents and

teachers demonstrated that they could work together to enhance school programs for the benefit of

students”(King,1996). Working together will only enhance the student's academic achievement.
2-Year Action Plan
Year 1:
❖ First Quarter:
➢ Creating a team of teachers and parents to create a survey to send
out to parents about how the school can build a better relationship
with the parents.
➢ The team will analyze the data and come up with a plan on how they
will building a relationship in order to help the students become
successful.
❖ Second Quarter
➢ The team will present the activity or strategy that will help foster a
relationship with students families.
➢ They will implement the activity or strategy with families.
❖ Third Quarter
➢ They will send out another survey to follow up with parents to see if
activity or strategy with families are working.
➢ They will have two activity or strategy with families each quarter.
❖ Fourth Quarter
➢ The teachers will share data to see if building the relationship with
students families is improving students grades.
➢ The team will reflect and change the struggles for next year.
Year 2 :
❖ First Quarter:
➢ The team will meet again and send out surveys and interviews
to see how they can build off last years activities or strategies
to building a relationship with families.
➢ Also the team will see how they can offer supports to help
families who might not be able to help their children with their
homework.
❖ Second Quarter
➢ They will implement the activity or strategy with families.
➢ We will make it our goal to have 80% participation from staff
members.
❖ Third Quarter
➢ They will send out another survey to follow up with parents to
see if activity or strategy with families are working.
➢ They will have three activity or strategy with families each
quarter.
❖ Fourth Quarter
➢ The teachers will share data to see if building the relationship
with students families is improving students grades.
➢ The team will reflect and change the struggles for next year.
Reflection Questions

Describe your experience with
this inquiry-based work as an
aspiring school leader.
Question One
The inquiry-based work showed
me some weaknesses in our
school; they can be fixed;
however, the issues won’t be fixed
overnight. As a future aspiring
school leader, I’m learning that
collaboration is essential if you
want to make a severe change.
 1. The fundamental skill necessary to engage in
meaning instructional leadership work is to build
relationships with your staff members. It’s impossible
to do anything if you don’t have the support of your
team. By getting that support, leaders need to build
relationships. According to Instructional Coaching, “
It will fail if we go in as experts. If we do not honor
What skills are necessary to who teachers are as people, what they need. That’s

engage in meaning instructional why I think instructional coaching is unique. We have

to go in and listen, and tailor our conversations

leadership work? individually, and offer particular tools that we have

expertise in. We have to value where they’re coming
from, what they’re doing, what their goals and desire

Question Two 2.
are as well” (Knight, 2007).
The other skill necessary to engage in meaning
instructional leadership work is to have the data
drive your instruction. According to Driven by
Data, “you want constant use of data to refocus
teaching” ( However, the instructional leader
needs to teach or lead their staff on how to
analyze data effectively.
 I wasn’t surprised by the findings
because my district struggles with
Any surprises? yes , what
building relationships and trying
happened. If not, why not? new engaging practices, which
can lead to the problem we have
Question Three with students not completing
their work.
 Describe your experiences with
the field excursions,
documentary, critical dialogue
reviewing text with instructional
leaders, and the inquiry-based
work.
Question Four
My experience was exciting, especially
during a pandemic, but overall I did
learn the importance of building
relationships. The documentaries we
had to watch were about building
relationships making the students feel
valued. The most exciting part was
having a dialogue with the
instructional leaders and hearing their
experience in their role. The group of
leaders we talked too were very
diverse; however, they all had very
similar views.
How do you understand yourself
as instructional leader at this
time? What did you learn about
yourself? About those you
serve? About instructional
leaders in the field? What
conclusions can you make?
Question Five
After taking this class, I understand being
an instructional leader has a lot of
components, but the most important one is
building relationships. I would make the
relationship key and the data the driving
force for your instructional practice. One
thing I learned about myself is that I need
to learn more about data and to use it to
form my instruction. I also learned a lot
from the instructional leaders in the field:
building relationships, transparency,
collaboration, student-centered instruction,
and analyzing data are very important. In
conclusion, being an instructional leader is
an important role, which can determine the
success of your building.
 References
Bambrick-Santoyo. P. (2010). Driven by data: A practical guide to improve instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Downey, C. J., Steffy, B. E., Poston, W. K., & English, F. W. (2009). 50 ways to close the achievement gap (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:

Corwin.

Dunleavy, J. (2008). Bringing Student Engagement Through the Classroom Door. EDUCATION CANADA -TORONTO-, (4), 23

Ertem, H. Y. ( 1 ), & Gökalp, G. ( 2 ). (n.d.). Parents’ perceptions of school climate and parent involvement in terms of education levels of parents and grade of

their children. Hacettepe Egitim Dergisi, 35(1), 78–91. https://doi-org.proxy.library.kent.edu/10.16986/HUJE.2018040670

Gutiérrez, M., Sancho, P., Galiana, L., & Tomás, J. M. (2018). Autonomy Support, Psychological Needs Satisfaction, School Engagement and

Academic Success: A Mediation Model. Universitas Psychologica, 17(5), 78–89. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy17-5.aspn

King, V. C. (1996). Engaging Community Members in Constructivist Learning: Parent Involvement in the Development of a Middle School Science

Curriculum.

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.