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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