Action Research needs to be Data Driven!

Action research needs to have rich data to allow for individuals to evaluate the problem and promote change.  I found it very informative listening to the different school leaders who presented their viewpoints on Action Research.  My experience in education has allowed me to work in two different school systems and experience diverse leadership styles.  I feel that my current experience is a very positive one, and we tend to focus on data.  I do feel I would benefit from some form of formal training on how to use the data effectively.  I am confident in saying, my instruction would improve if I had some type of professional development to visit this topic.  Also, I really felt the concept of picking a topic that is practical to you personally and making sure you can apply this to student learning is important.  I believe our focus can be lost on data or other school issues, and take away from the most important component and that is student learning.