EDLD 5326 Week 5 update

Action Research Project Title:  Working Lunch Refined

Number of AR Project Documented Hours: At least 50

AR Project Summary (at least 250 words):

My action research project calls for a look and change into the Working Lunch program we have at our school.  Last year any student that was tardy, was not working in class, or had behavioral issues was given a working lunch.  Working lunch is a time where students can have additional time to makeup the lost time in class.  Students were pulled from their 3rd period classroom 5-10 minutes before lunch and they were taken downstairs to buy a lunch.  They were then taken to the ISS room where they sat for a quiet lunch and worked on any missing, late, or unfinished classwork.  The issue that I saw with this plan was that students who are generally failing courses are the ones that are late or with behavior issues.  So why are they being removed 5-10 minutes early when they are the students that should be investing more time in the classroom?  I collected data from those habitually attending Working Lunch last year and their passing/failing rate for 3rd period.  What I found was correct.  These students were failing these courses.

 

This year we have implemented a new way of doing things.  We have made Working Lunch less desirable by using 3 new working lunch administrators and changing the place where working lunch is held.  The new room has no windows and students are designated a spot each day.  Also they are no longer given a choice of what they eat.  They are given the opportunity to buy the least bought meal (Chicken Sandwich) but are given a choice of what type of milk (required by law).  The students also don’t get to leave class early from 3rd period.  They are walked by their 3rd period teachers to the working lunch room at the end of 3rd period.  This plan just went into full effect as of Monday September 24th.  Results will not be available until January of 2013.  Not only are we trying to curb grades with this plan, but also curb behavior and tardiness. 

 

I have put more than 50 hours into gathering data and looking into student course success.  I have also worked in the working lunch room on occasion to see how things run and have tried to make it run more smoothly.