What I've learned about Action Research

I think that action research is more along the lines of how I expect true research is done. Rather than just gathering information that has already been found by someone else, action research exists to solve real problems and find real explanations for questions that educators often have. I often find myself wondering "why does our school have such-and-such issue," or "why do we do things this way?" I imagine that I'm not alone and many teachers and administrators wonder this. Action research is a means by which one can discover the answers to our questions. It is the job of the principal to answer these questions and find a solution. If it is a problem having to do with a disparity between achievement between socio-economic groups then action research can be conducted to help discover the problem and hopefully lead to a solution. There may be a rule or policy put into place years ago to solve a particular problem. The policy may take time and energy away from other, more pressing issues and the problem may not even exist anymore. An example of this would be rules against torn jeans. The administration, at one point, deemed torn jeans to be a distraction and therefore it is against the dress code for students to wear jeans with frayed edges or holes. However, in the current culture, it has become much more common for jeans to have a "worn" look and, in fact, many jeans are now sold this way. It is no longer, within the larger cultural setting, seen as taboo or a distraction and therefore it is simply not worth the time or the effort to ensure that every student is wearing jeans without holes in the knees or frayed cuffs.