0.2 Holoman, h., & Yates, p. (february 2009). mining best practice  (Page 7/8)

Servant researchers

"We are from the university and we are here to help you…” These words can easily strike fear in the hearts and minds of local educators. It is important to make sure that those words are followed by a humility and genuine interest in listening to the district’s needs and offering support that meets specific needs—not the needs we perceive. Helping to meet the needs that seem small can help to establish trust among researchers and community members.

Consistency

The schedule and responsibilities within the academy often precludes a tenure-track professor from committing to consistent sessions in the field. Meeting with community members every few weeks does not convey a commitment, nor does it allow for time to develop meaningful and trustworthy relationships.

Valuing the voices

Our research project was developed to allow all members of the organization to participate. We discovered that this approach was extremely helpful when we presented the research findings. The faculty and staff from each school were extremely receptive to the research reports and implications of the findings because they were a part of the process. Each voice was heard.

One-on-one

The one-on-one sessions with each school principal and each local expert provided an opportunity for lots of discussion and relationship building. Although each interview was structured—there was always time allotted for personal dialogue and sharing. The principals were extremely supportive of the project—in fact, to highlight the positive partnership; one principal signed an email, “Collaboratively”.

Highlight the success that is already happening

There is a tendency in this type of research for researchers to focus on the problem-solving and forget the current successes. The researchers must intentionally search for and emphasize the best practices within the organization. This approach is critical in maintaining a healthy organizational climate.

Ground your findings in current research

Obviously this suggestion is like “preaching to the choir”. When we aligned the Best Practice Language of our local experts with the contemporary research it validated the current work of the practitioners. Upon reading the reports and seeing the agreement in research and their practice, many of them said, “I’ve been doing that for years—it’s nice to know that the research supports it!”

Know the untouchables

At our very first meeting with the superintendent’s administrative team, we heard several comments regarding the need to protect instructional time—and teacher’s planning time. Throughout the research project, we worked carefully with each school principal to ensure that these concerns were addressed.

University support

Earlier we mentioned that institutions value this type of research differently. Our university demonstrated its commitment to this project by providing us release time. There is no possible way that we could have spent the time in the field and the time researching and writing without some additional time. If you are considering this type of research, we encourage you to initiate discussions within your department or college to determine the level of support (i.e. course release, buy-out time) that would be provided if you were to pursue such a research endeavor.