Chapter 6: Inquiry on Supporting Urban High School Principals: Action Research for Mindfulness Practice

The study’s purposes were to (a) describe mindfulness in the work of two urban high school administrators, and (b) analyze the challenges and opportunities for their district supervisor in developing their knowledge and skills for pursuing reliability in student outcomes. Researchers employed action research that gathered and analyzed survey data from school faculty as well as observations and interviews with the two principals. Both principals were found to play a significant role in processes that supported achieving reliability in school outcomes. The action research on mindfulness provided a valuable set of tools on which to converse for problem solving between principals and central office supervisor that was transparent, reflective, and allowed for dialogue about issues involving organizational learning.