Practitioner inquiry: a method to advocate for systemic change.

Practitioner inquiry offers a strategy for creating systemic change thus increasing opportunities for all students' academic achievement. Too often, school counselors are considered ancillary in schools rather than an integral member of the practitioner base. However, school counselors are being included in the equation for all students' success. The very nature of school counselors' work can make data gathering appear overwhelming and cumbersome. This article outlines a practical guide for enhancing the school counselor's position on leadership teams by providing simple and realistic strategies forgathering, analyzing, and using data to foster partnerships leading to positive academic interventions boosting all students' achievement.

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The achievement gap among ethnic groups was being closed until the late 1980s. However, beginning in 1988, the gap began to once again widen. Today's Latino and African American K-12 students perform below their White and Asian counterparts (Education Trust, 2001).

No longer can schools release only graduation rates. Schools are being held accountable for all students' K-12 academic achievement. The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) scores indicate that ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) continue to be strong factors in students' low achievement (Barton, 2004). NAEP scores continue to show 17-year-old minority students performing in math and reading near their 13-year-old White counterparts (Education Trust, 2001).

School counselors need to be on the leadership team addressing the hard issues of achievement and opportunity gaps. No other individual in the school hears, sees, and knows more about events and individuals both inside and outside of the building than the school counselor. These professionals are ideally poised to ask difficult questions necessary for ensuring equal access and high achievement for all students. Practitioner inquiry offers the opportunity for school counselors to gather, analyze, and use pertinent data for advocating on behalf of all students' educational equity.

PRACTITIONER INQUIRY

Overview of Practitioner Inquiry</p> <pre> Research is a high-hat word that scares a lot of people. It needn't. It's rather simple.

Essentially research is nothing but a state of mind ... a friendly, welcoming attitude toward change ... going out to look for change

instead of waiting for it to come ... an effort to do things better. (Charles Kettering, as quoted in Hubbard & Power, 2003, p. 1) </pre> <p>Teacher practitioners have utilized inquiry for decades (Hubbard & Power, 2003). Inquiry can serve a multitude of purposes. The focus of this article centers on the crucial role that practitioner inquiry can play when used to identify opportunity and achievement gaps.

Opportunity gaps occur within the system when all children do not have equal access. Examples that school counselors are well equipped to work with include (a) course scheduling, (b) teacher recommendations necessary for upper-level course enrollment, and (c) random assignment of students to teachers. Consider the following example of course scheduling. Scheduling English courses for first or second period can become a barrier for students who work after school and on weekends to help support the family (in essence a half-to-full-time job). The opportunity to enroll in the course and fully participate at an early hour presents an obstacle to pursuing a rigorous curriculum.

The example of equal access is evidenced in teacher recommendations. Teacher recommendations can wield substantial power when students begin to pursue higher-level courses. What happens when the recommending teacher and the student do not see eye-to-eye? What has constituted the disequilibrium between the two? Is it a fair assessment to call the student dissenting or challenging? Will the student receive a fair and unbiased recommendation? What other criteria are utilized to potentially remove the bias of a negative recommendation?

Lastly, consider the impact of randomized teacher-student class assignments. Obstacles are created for students and their families when they are unaware of differences in teaching and learning styles. Hence, they cannot and do not advocate for placement with a compatible teacher.

Achievement gaps are inequities in measurable learning among various socioeconomic, gender, and ethnic groups. Disparities continue to exist between marginalized populations and the predominant culture (Education Trust, 2001). Included are American Indians, African Americans, Hispanics, and low-income individuals and families. A profile of 2001 high school graduates afforded a college prep curriculum reveals that African American, Latino, and Native American youth are less likely than their counterparts to fully enroll in the college prep track (Greene & Foster, 2003). Additionally, these youth are more likely to be taught by under-qualified teachers (Ingersoll, 1999).

Closing opportunity and achievement gaps is the responsibility of all stakeholders. School counselors are readily positioned to utilize practitioner inquiry in helping to close these gaps. Simply stated, practitioner inquiry is the act of asking a question, gathering data, and analyzing the data to ascertain the answer. For example: Do the attendance patterns for first and second hour mirror the school's demographics, To answer the question, gathered data could include absences occurring during the 2 hours disaggregated by ethnicity, gender, and SES. Examination of the disaggregated data could reveal interesting patterns (e.g., one ethnic group has higher representation) and lead to further questions (e.g., Does this group have similar family structures, Do the students work at night?).

Data

The word data is often interchanged and identified with the word research. Data, as used in practitioner inquiry, denotes a friendlier approach to using factual information. Data utilized by school counselors can include existing artifacts within the school. Examples include attendance, disciplinary referrals, test scores, dropout rates, and graduation rates. Stepping beyond the everyday artifact data and moving into less-thought-of areas can provide insights well worth further scrutiny. These areas include master schedules, school calendars, teacher and student schedules, as well as usage patterns of time, space, and personnel (Crawford & Dougherty, 2003).

Schools are rich in artifact data. Obtaining additional information and insight can be as simple as disaggregating attendance by SES, ethnicity, second-language learners, and zip codes. Practitioner inquiry asks the professional to peel back the original data and look to the deeper layers. One question can lead to others. For example, if one student is struggling with poor morning attendance, how many more students might there be? What characteristics do they have in common: teachers, ethnicity, place of residence, parental absence, and/or work schedules?

Moving beyond artifacts, data can be gathered in a multitude of venues, can take many forms, need not be extravagant, and can be found in two arenas--the environment and the humans within the environment. The environment is composed of settings and places in which events occur. Human components include individuals involved and the interactions between individuals. Surveys, sociograms, audio/video recordings, observations, and informal discussions all constitute usable methods for asking questions and gathering data. For example, students can be observed at work in the classroom, interacting on the playground, or eating in the lunchroom. Who is talking with whom, Who is being left out? Who is key to the social interactions,

FIELD EXAMPLE

A Title I school counseling practitioner asked the following question: Where do the majority of failing third-grade students live, The question arose from the state standardized test scores' glaring statistic: A high percentage of third-grade students were failing the tests. The school counselor asked the question armed with the knowledge that a significant percentage of the students in the school were from poor, single-parent families. Disaggregating the data by zip codes answered the question: The majority of the students were from several apartment complexes! And, yes, the complexes housed predominantly single-parent, low-income families. Using her hunch, the school counselor had asked the important question.

How many of us have had such a hunch, And, how many of us have acted on that hunch, The school counselor's question ultimately led to the formation of a team to develop interventions. As a result of the team's efforts, powerful interventions were developed. Included in the interventions were in-school strategies for supplemental help in reading, writing, and math. Additionally, middle and high school students were recruited as peer tutors not only during school hours but at the apartment sites as well. Why not? Many of them lived in or near the complexes. Educators also provided parents with tips for encouraging and supporting academic achievement at home. This example represents a systemic intervention that arose from a simple question and the data gathered to provide an answer.

A 2-year post-follow-up with the school counselor indicates that additional strategies have continued to evolve. One strategy developed by the apartment residents requires a signed agreement for the release of information between the school and "Homework Club" personnel. The release allows teachers to talk directly with Homework Club personnel regarding students' academic difficulties. The school counselor continues to track the academic achievement of students living in the complexes. Results clearly point to the success of the interventions: Eighty-eight percent of third-grade students passed the reading benchmark, 86% passed the math benchmark, and 99% of intact students (students who have been in the school over several years) passed benchmarks in reading and math. Quite a success story!

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

Identifying the question and gathering the data led the school counselor to outline a plan of action. First and foremost, she knew her findings must be shared with the building administrator. In the meeting she presented the data and outlined potential options for moving forward. The following strategies were utilized for development of the systemic interventions.

Teams

School counselors often work in isolation or one-on-one with administrators. The "me" alone cannot help all students to high academic achievement. It must be a "we"--a team effort involving all stakeholders. Teams can provide the needed support when tackling opportunity and achievement gap issues. Take, for example, the above practitioner with the failing third-grade students. Asking the hard question and obtaining relevant data provided the information necessary for initial conversations to begin.

A variety of stakeholders--including key school faculty, administrators, and staff members, central district administrators, and parents--were asked to convene. The group became the advisory or steering committee. (Note, if there are resisters, invite them to the meeting. Resistance often occurs when information is incomplete and fears arise. Including resisters can provide a more comprehensive picture for the advisory team.)

Considerable thought needs to be given to team member selection. Carefully examine for membership individuals who have (a) power (e.g., administration); (b) social and/or influential skills (e.g., behind-the-scenes faculty leaders, community leaders); (c) expertise in the identified issue, and (d) representation of potentially affected students and community stakeholders. Regularly participating parents usually come to mind first. However, as in the example above, parents from the apartment complexes can be crucial to the implementation and success of community interventions.

Meetings/Agendas

A carefully crafted meeting agenda is essential. Begin by describing the first data (e.g., failing test scores). Next, present the newly disaggregated data (e.g., zip codes). After the initial overview and sharing of facts, step into the role of facilitator, thus empowering the group to explore ideas, options, and potential solutions. The "me" becomes "we."

Action Plan

A second crucial step is for the advisory team to develop an action plan--again, "we," not "me." Generated ideas are recorded and participants are asked to outline possible next steps. From the list, the team can develop an action plan. In order to ascertain progress, short- and long-term goals should be established for each identified strategy. In the above example, the long-term goal was clear: getting third-grade students to meet or exceed the state standardized test benchmarks. Short-term goals guide the work by providing strategic evaluation points. Goals should include timelines and measurable objectives (e.g., 20 contacts will be made by a given date). Short-term goals also provide affirmation of efforts and forward movement.

Organization is essential to a meeting's success. Arriving with data in hand and a carefully planned agenda provides the team with a foundation from which to begin work. Time allocations must be honored (e.g., an hour meeting with time identified and broken down). The advisory team is empowered to develop ideas, set goals, establish next steps, and identify the next meeting date and time. The school counselor acts as the facilitator for the meeting. Preservice preparation of school counselors in communication skills ideally positions them as leaders and facilitators of these teams. With careful planning for the meeting, the counselor can effectively lead the team to successful goal attainment.

Presenting Results

School and district newsletters are excellent mediums for sharing the team's vision and work. Sharing the team's efforts can provide all stakeholders with information while creating the opportunity for feedback and sharing ideas for future directions. Open communication can help dispel fears, reduce anxiety, and potentially locate additional resources.

Finally, successful teams need to celebrate! All too often tasks are completed and teams dissolved without sharing results or celebrating the hard work. During high-stakes times, sharing with all stakeholders the work and effort put forth by teams can be crucial for continued collaboration. Contact the school and local newspapers, television stations, and radio stations to share successes. Obtain permission from members before releasing names and always maintain confidentiality of identifying data (e.g., names, specific locations).

Sharing results via PowerPoint presentations to district personnel and school boards is another positive way to acknowledge the team's work. A PowerPoint presentation should be "talking points," not the "text" of the presentation. The PowerPoint should be precise and clear with wording bulleted and brief. Graphs (e.g., bar, column, or line) provide an easy-to-comprehend version of the data. Pie charts also work well to highlight percentages or disparities. Prior to the formal presentation, rehearse with other professionals to solicit constructive feedback regarding content and style (e.g., ease of interpreting graphs). (Note: Additional examples and checklists for the above categories are available from the authors upon request.)

CONCLUSION

Practitioner inquiry affords the school counselor a realistic means of gathering data to address factors limiting or prohibiting children equal opportunities and access to a rigorous curriculum. Armed with data, the school counselor can begin the process of helping all stakeholders become involved in increasing equity and achievement for all students.

Our nation's future rests on the educational opportunities provided for today's children. Educators can no longer allow children to slip through the cracks. Alone, we face insurmountable tasks. Together, in teams, we can tackle the overarching systemic issues contributing to inequities in access for children of underrepresented populations. All children are our responsibility. We chose education as our profession because we believed in the worth of educating each and every child. Let's begin to work smarter, wiser, and more systemically by asking questions, gathering and analyzing data, and forming teams to ensure all students' equal access and high achievement.

References

Barton, P. E. (2004). Why does the gap persist? Educational Leadership, 52(3), 9-13.

Crawford, M., & Dougherty, E. (2003). Updraft/downdraft: Secondary schools in the crosswinds of reform. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Education, an imprint of the Rowan & Littlefield Publishing Group.

Education Trust. (2001). Achievement in America. Retrieved September 15, 2004, from http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/Product+Catalog/data+disks.htm

Greene, J. P., & Foster, G. (2003). Public graduation and college-readiness rates in the United States. Retrieved October 5, 2004, from http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_03.htm

Hubbard, R. S., & Power, B. M. (2003). The art of classroom inquiry: A handbook for teacher-researchers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishing.

Ingersoll, R. M. (1999). The problem of underqualified teachers in American secondary schools. Educational Researcher, 28(2), 26-37.

Vicki Brooks-McNamara, Ph.D., is a consultant with the Education Trust, Portland, OR. E-mail [e-mail]

Laura Pedersen, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of school counseling, Graduate School of Education, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR.