Thursday, October 10, 2013

Student Centered, Principal Centered, and Principle Centered Ethical Leadership


This is a brief essay on how student centered, principal centered, and principle centered ethical leadership all play a vital role in the advancement and achievement process of school age children and the educational system as a whole.  I will give detailed analysis and examples of why and how these three types of leadership styles are essential to the overall growth of any school or administration.  Being a teacher with 13 years of experience, I will also attempt to share with the reader my own insight and analysis as to how to create a community of learning through the utilization of the aforementioned three aspects of ethical leadership.  A short video will also be included in the end, to highlight, and add further detail to this topic.

First, to create a community of achievement and higher learning, one must attack the issue of ethical leadership on a mirco level.  One cannot have leaders without followers.  This is where the student “buy-in” is essential to the success of any educational organization.  Second, the leader of any organization sets the tone.  It is the principal’s duty to establish a work place that not only fosters ethical behavior, but also demands it.  Lastly, having principled leadership on a macro level is key. 
A value system must be in place.  A system that is clear, concise, and fair to every stakeholder involved.  This principled value system should place a priority on morals and ethical conduct.  Student, principal, and principled centered ethical leadership are all intertwined.  They support each other in the overall achievement process of fostering student learning, as well as creating moral and productive citizens that are capable of leading others.
Student centered ethical leadership is when the highest priority of any school or education center is placed on student success.  The success of the student outweighs any other factor.  Student success can be defined in a multitude of ways.  Student success is much more than high grade point averages, and outstanding standardized test scores. 
Student centered ethical leadership focuses on the individual as a whole.  A study in Colorado was conducted among 20 doctoral students.  This study was to gauge the outline of a possible student code of ethics when it came to creating a positive educational atmosphere for them. The following quote sheds light on the results. “Although educational leaders are required by current accountability systems to focus on student academic achievement, the responses of the educational leaders in this study show that they are quite cognizant of the need for students to be motivated, feel respected and valued, and have a learning atmosphere where communication among all involved in the educational process is open, honest, frequent, and in good faith.” (Vogel, 2012, p. 4) 

            This student response leads one to believe that ethics play a large role creating and maintaining student “buy-in.”  Ethics are nothing more than personal morals.  It is up to the leader, the principal, to exemplify these morals and set the tone for his or her followers.  Principals are faced with ethical decisions every day.  It is these decisions that can have a life altering affect on those students he or she has been entrusted to lead.  “Research on how principals respond when confronted with ethical dilemmas suggests that the best interests of students figures prominently as a meta-organizer and ultimate influence on their decision making.” (Stefkovich & Begeley, 2007, p. 206) 
     The question of morality and having to make decisions based on morals leads me to discuss principle centered ethical leadership.  This type of leadership deals with establishing an ethical framework from which a group or educational organization can adhere to.  This framework consists of morals and ethical conduct that is designed to create productivity and help to develop an intrapersonal relationship between a leader and his or her followers.  However, it is not just enough to have a framework in place.  Proper dialog and constructive discourse must take place to determine if the framework is beneficial and fair to each and every stakeholder. 
            Begley and Stefkovich (2007, p. 406) identify five critical questions that must be asked when developing a principled ethical leadership framework. 
1.     Which perspectives are represented in a given theory, model or practice?  Are they those of the individual, the group, the profession, the organization, and/or the community?
2.     Is there a gap or inconsistency between the values implied or articulated by the theory, model, structure, or practice and the actual values to which there is commitment?  Is there a hidden or veiled agenda (e.g. an economic agenda masquerading as a pedagogical agenda)
3.     Do these perspectives perpetuate the myth of value consistency within individuals, and across groups and organizations?  What variations and conflicts among values are apparent?  Are these values portrayed as static, slowly evolving or highly dynamic in nature?
4.     How are ethics employed within the theory, model, or practice?  Are they utilized as unassailable castles to justify or protect self-interest and prevent rational argument?  Are they used as veils that obscure base motivations?  Are they employed as a compass for navigating the swamp of administrative problem solving?  Are the ethics appropriate to the particular social or cultural context to which they are applied?
5.     If the matter at hand involves research on values or ethics, are the special problems associated with the description of internal psychological processes, attribution of meaning to the actions of others, and the context-stripped environment of third party research perspectives accommodated?
These five questions underline just how critical constructive discourse is to creating a productive ethical framework that is fair to all parties involved. 
            In my 13 years of teaching experience, I have witnessed firsthand the value of student, principal, and principle centered ethical leadership.  Students must be provided with the proper motivation to excel scholastically.  Meeting their basic needs can do this.  The principal sets the tone for the entire school.  He or she must exemplify the ideals and ethics that the students are expected to follow.  These ideals and ethics make up the ethical framework.  Once again, it is key to conduct proper, constructive discourse when designing this principled ethical framework. 
           In conclusion, it is evident that student, principal, and principle centered ethical leadership must exist and function cooperatively in order for true success to take hold in an educational setting. The following video paints a picture of the value morality of being cognizant of your students’ home life situation as well as setting high expectations through an ethical framework that demands discipline from staff and students alike.




                                                        References:
Begley, P. T., & Stefkovich, J. (2007).  Integrating values and ethics into post secondary
teaching for leadership development.  Journal of Education Administration, 45, 398-412.  doi: 10.1108/09578230710762427
Stefkovich, J., & Begley, P. T. (2007).  Ethical school leadership.  Education
Management Administration & Leadership, 35, 205-224. 
doi: 10.1177/1741143207075389
Vogel, L. R. (2012). Leading with hearts and minds:  ethical orientations of educational
leadership doctoral students.  Values and Ethics in Educational Administration,








           

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