What have I learned about action research?

Action research is a study leaders must undergo daily to reflect on their own administrative practices. Reflection, data collection, analysis of findings, reading pertinent literature, and sharing findings with the school community should help principal-researchers be more aware of their own needs, and how to improve personally and professionally. This will in return have a more positive impact on their school. Inquiry is vital to achieve professional health, but sometimes it is hard for principals to find the time to do this. That is why a set time must be created by them to involve themselves in reflective practice.
To become an expert reasearcher, reflective thinking must be practiced and nurtured. It requires analytical thinking, understanding how valuable prior experiences are, and taking action. Expert principal-researchers involve themselves in this by making it part of their daily activities. Some involve their staff by creating leadership teams, professional learning communities (PLCs), and book studies. There are others that motivate their teachers to analyze their own way of teaching, and guide them to make curriculum improvement to accomodate their students' needs.
As a result of all this findings it's easy to appreciate, as an education administration graduate student, my personal need for action research. It is imperative that I constantly reflect on my own practices, collect data, read literature related to my own inquiries, and share results with others that may benefit. This will help find possible reasons and solution to problems in school, find better ways to teach our current curriculum, discover literature that may help understand current conflict, help us all grow to become better educators, and perhaps motivate others to start this process themselves too.