Programs


The cornerstone of CNI, Action Research assists participants in formulating policy recommendations based on their experiences in their own schools.

When several educators investigate problems or concerns and seek to make changes in several classrooms within a school or district, it is referred to as Collaborative Action Research. The process provides numerous benefits for both the individuals involved in the process and the school as a whole. As professional development, action research allows the educators involved to address non-routine problems, as opposed to dealing only with the "emergency of the moment." It provides an opportunity for teachers and administrators to look at areas of concern from multiple perspectives. The literature is replete with examples of how Action Research can be used to help schools increase their effectiveness, thus engaging in positive actions to increase student achievement and behavior. Schools and districts nationally, as well as internationally, are recognizing the power of Action Research as a tool for school improvement.

Action Research Steps:

  1. Framing and Posing the Question - As the first step in the Action Research process, this stage is crucial to setting the tone for the rest of the study. The question that is posed by each school team will be used to shape their research. In CNI, the problem formulation phase will ask the team members to focus on their concerns relative to improving their students' nutritional literacy and eating behaviors.

  2. Reviewing the Literature and Articulating the Theory - In this phase, the team members will do a careful review of the literature body related to nutritional literacy. They will examine "best practices" in the area of food education programs, including exemplary models such as the Center for Eco-Literacy's curriculum, "Cooking with Kids," and Alice Waters' "Edible Schoolyard." Through collaborative research, along with individual research, team members will be able to articulate a detailed rationale for the curricular intervention that will be implemented in each respective school.

  3. Implementing the Action and Collecting Data - Before the teams begin implementing the garden "action" project, they will be presented with alternative tools for data collection that will be appropriate for monitoring the anticipated changes in knowledge and attitudes over time. Participants will identify specific quantitative and qualitative data sources that they can use to understand the efficacy and impact of the garden, curriculum and activities.


  4. Documenting the Results - As the teams are progressing through the steps, they will be guided as to the appropriate documentation format for reporting on their results. Monthly meetings will include lessons learned from each team, sharing of insights, and collaborative exploration of related resources and materials. It is anticipated that each team will produce a monograph on their study and lessons learned.

By using Action Research as the basis for CNI, The Education Fund is providing a structure that encourages school teams to explore current research, set up methods for collecting data on the project, and strategies for analyzing the data to determine if the school garden initiative meets the learning expectations of the school.

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