Chapter 7: Using Action Research For Aspiring Middle Level Administrators: Going Beyond the Traditional Practicum Experience

Professional organizations, school district personnel, and policymakers want universities to produce graduates who are equipped to reculture schools in order to support teaching and learning, and the healthy development of young people. The practicum is an opportunity for students concluding their master’s program in educational administration to integrate theory and practice in a middle level school. The aspiring middle level administrators in the Urban Leadership and Policy Studies in Education (ULAPSIE) program at the University of Missouri, Kansas City (UMKC) conduct action research projects to better understand and meet the developmental and academic needs of young adolescents. This chapter highlights three of those action research projects.