Action Research Initiative 2010-11
Statement of Support From Applicant's Head of School

The IBSC Action Research Initiative provides exciting opportunities for teachers in member schools to plan and participate in research projects. These international research teams will need participants who are eager, thoughtful, computer literate, motivated and well-organized. Although the team will be guided through the process by a research coordinator, the strong support of the head of school where they work is important.

For the 2010-11 IBSC Action Research Project, there are three research topics (click on topic question for detailed information):

• Topic 1: How can boys' engagement and achievement in the study of Foreign Languages be developed and enhanced?
• Topic 2: How can we create and deepen meaningful and authentic leadership opportunities for boys in our schools?
• Topic 3: How can school library programmes and initiatives support and enhance boys' enthusiasm for and success in reading?

The candidate’s Application Form and the Head of School’s Statement of Support (see form below) are due by October 30, 2009. Participants will be selected by November 30, 2009.

Requirements: Team members will:

• Participate in occasional but not onerous on-line team orientation and planning activities between February and June, 2010.
• Attend meetings with other team members at the 17^th annual conference in Philadelphia on Saturday June 26th, 2010, the day before the beginning of the conference, and again on Sunday morning, June 27th. There will be a reception for team members, hosted by the Board of Trustees,  on the evening of Friday, June 25th.
• Participate in research activities between June, 2010 and July, 2011 which will include frequent on-line communication, collaboration, and updates.
• Write and submit a report to the IBSC about the action research process, findings, and conclusions. The research coordinator will provide guidance and a user-friendly template for the report. The IBSC reserves the right to edit the report in preparation for publication, but always in concert with the author. The report is normally 3000-5000 words, and is due by June 10, 2011. The reports will be published by the IBSC by August, 2011.  The reports are considered to be the property of the IBSC, but participants seeking to use their reports for other publications or uses are encouraged to do so, but asked to give appropriate credit to the IBSC.
• Attend the 18^th annual conference in London, England  from July 10-13, 2011. The work and reports of the teams will be featured during the conference. Team members are required to be available on Saturday, July 8 for planning of the conference presentations, and to meet with the new incoming teams.

Financial Terms: It is required that the school fund all travel, accommodation and conference registration costs associated with the teacher’s participation in the Action Research project. The IBSC will underwrite all other expenses involved, including compensation of the Action Research Coordinator and specialist consultants working with action research teams, and publication which may result from the project.

Financial Support: To ensure that the Action Research programme is open to state or public IBSC member schools, and to schools with limited professional development resources, the sponsoring Head of School may submit a request  for financial support from the IBSC. A request for this financial support must be made on the Statement of Support submitted below.

Additional information about the program is available on the Action Research section of the IBSC website. If you need additional information, please email the Executive Director at adams@theibsc.org.

In the space below, please state why you think the applicant would be a valued contributor to an action research project.