Evolution of a 5-Year Action Research Project: Results and Implications for Empowering School Improvement. Short Paper.

This paper presents an overview of the findings and implications of an ongoing 5-year collaborative action research project conducted by university faculty and classroom teachers in a large urban school district in the southeastern United States. Based on the premise that participation in research empowers teachers to take action to improve schools, the project both supports and encourages the involvement of practicing classroom teachers in research projects. The document provides a framework for examining: (1) the development of a teacher-mentor model that offers a foundation for school improvement by enhancing teachers' research interests; and (2) the capability of teachers to conduct and do research (an analysis of requirements). A prototype model for developing the capability of teachers to do research is described. The model advocates some form of apprenticeship and focuses on the means through which a collegial relationship (teacher-researcher) can evolve into a type of apprenticeship relationship (apprentice-mentor) through which teachers can pursue the substantive knowledge and research tools they need to become colleagues as practicing researchers in the field of science education. (LL)