Journal of Moral Education

ISSN: 0305-7240 (Print) 1465-3877 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjme20

Ethical leadership in schools: creating community

in an environment of accountability and The
cultural proficiency journey: moving beyond
ethical barriers toward profound school change

Sarah J. Noonan

To cite this article: Sarah J. Noonan (2010) Ethical leadership in schools: creating community
in an environment of accountability and The cultural proficiency journey: moving beyond
ethical barriers toward profound school change, Journal of Moral Education, 39:4, 519-522,
DOI: 10.1080/03057240.2010.521406

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2010.521406

Published online: 29 Oct 2010.

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 Book reviews 519

Ethical leadership in schools: creating community in an environment of

accountability
Kenneth A. Strike, 2007
Thousand Oaks, CA, Corwin Press
$28.95 (pbk), 155 pp.
ISBN 978-1-4129-1351-5
The cultural proficiency journey: moving beyond ethical barriers toward
profound school change
Franklin CampbellJones, Brenda CampbellJones and Randall B. Lindsey, 2010
Thousand Oaks, CA, Corwin Press
$26.95 (pbk), 144 pp.
ISBN 978-1-4129-7794-4

The authors of these two books on ethical leadership in education emphasise the
importance of being fully inclusive of diverse students, families and community
members in democratic schools, as well as taking moral action to promote social
justice through culturally proficient practice. In Ethical leadership in schools: creating
community in an environment of accountability Kenneth Strikes big-tented view of
public education in a democratic society includes: good communities, ethical deci-
sion making, evidence-based practice, fair processes, informed debate and full inclu-
sion of all community members, especially those marginalised by exclusion and
poverty. In The cultural proficiency journey: moving beyond ethical barriers toward
profound school change, Franklin CampbellJones, Brenda CampbellJones and Randall
Lindsay describe their framework for developing cultural proficiency as an action-
able means to identify right from wrong in serving the needs of historically under-
served students within the context of serving the needs of all students (p. 17). Strike
uses philosophical theories and arguments to establish the connection between ethi-
cal leadership and inclusive practice and also guides the reader to gain greater skill in
ethical reasoning. CampbellJones, CampbellJones and Lindsay help readers promote
personal and organisational change by guiding readers through assessing and achiev-
ing various stages of cultural competency as a means to achieve social justice.
In Ethical leadership in schools: creating community in an environment of accountability,
Strike challenges school leaders, educators, stakeholders and community members to
examine educational policy, practice and decisions with a simple question: How
shall we live well together? Arguing against a narrow view of ethics as merely a deter-
mination of right and wrong, Strike encourages leaders to broaden their view and
consider schools as good communities. Strikes definition of ethical leadership as the
art of creating good school communities includes the aims of education as well as the
principles of social cooperation (p. 3).
Combining principles with ethical decision-making processes, Strike offers educa-
tional leaders a way to think through thorny issues. He suggests and adopts princi-
ples, introduces an educational dilemma, skilfully analyses issues and perspectives,
reflects on the implications of various actions and alternatives and offers a reasoned,
520 Book reviews

ethical judgement based on clearly articulated educational ideals and democratic

principles. Beyond the consideration of worthy intentions and results Strikes values
inclusion, fair treatment of others, respect for evidence and argument, a transparent
process and healthy debate as additional criteria for making and evaluating the
worthiness of ethical decisions. Using good communities as an aim, ideal and
measure, Strike defines the qualities of good communities throughout his book and
then tackles difficult educational issues with this standard in mind.
In the first chapter Strike attracts readers to an exploration of ethical leadership by
offering a compelling scenario of a principal facing a highly-political and ethically-
charged set of problems related to the external mandate of No Child Left Behind
(NCLB), district policy and the internal demands of parents and teachers to control
the curriculum and instructional goals for their children and students. Parents and
teachers protest against district policies related to NCLB and implore their principal
to go to the board to circumvent the required curriculum. The scenario illustrates
the ethical conflicts inherent in federal mandates, local control and teacher and
parent authority as well as issues of professional duty and practice. A determined
school board and a well-armed group of parents and teachers argue about local
policy, placing the principal at a crossroads: Should district policy be followed or
circumvented? Strike deconstructs the problem, using the qualities of good commu-
nities and the principles of effective pedagogy to consider potential alternatives.
Strike illustrates and models how an ethical leader might arrive at a decision based
on the good communities standard. He makes a convincing argument by exploring
alternative views, challenging assumptions, capably discussing evidence-based
educational practice and offering a third view, incorporating valuable ideas from
legislation and professional practice. Modelling the process for effective, ethical and
defensible ethical decisions, Strike combines philosophy, ethical decision-making,
professional values and effective pedagogy to help leaders see how they might reason
and reach a legitimate and morally defensible decision.
Strikes book becomes increasingly valuable as the opening scenario expands in
subsequent chapters and includes more difficult dilemmas. Told in narrative form,
the cast of characters and changing circumstances engage readers in thinking deeply
about the principles and complexity involved in most difficult decisions. Strike uses
a developmental approach, introducing fundamental principles and criteria for ethical
decision making in the early sections of the book and then adding depth and complex-
ity as the book progresses. This structure helps readers practise and acquire the habits
of ethical reasoning and appreciate the schools as good communities standard.
Strike presents four broad goals for public education: students should become
economically competent, become good citizens and moral people, be capable of an
examined life, and discover ideas, activities and relationships that enrich their lives
(p. 19) and successfully illustrates their value in examining various dilemmas
presented throughout the book. While some might add more goals or describe them
differently, the goals satisfy many of the demands for accountability in educational
reform and address deeply cherished values regarding educational purpose and fulfil-
ment in a democratic society.
 Book reviews 521

Moving beyond educational goals, Strike introduces the idea of constitutional

essentials, describing them as core values and moral ideals deeply embedded within
the United States as a liberal democracy. Strike challenges ethical leaders to consider
the values and norms found within the constitutional principles in a society that
aspires to be free, equal and democratic (p. 47) and apply them to their educational
practice. Topics such as importance of public debate, valuing or limiting religious
expression in various contexts, the pursuit of truth, importance of individuality and
the common good and the nature of freedom must be examined as moral ideals
within the school as a good community. Strike manages to address a wide range of
ethical issues in education, offering a solid discussion of ethical perspectives and
tensions and suggesting some practical alternatives.
I highly recommend Strikes Ethical leadership in schools: creating community in an
environment of accountability to school administrators, professors, policy makers and
philosophers because the author offers a clear and compelling vision of the aims of
education and skilfully describes the process and criteria for ethical leadership. Strike
addresses the relationship between ethical leadership and accountability by returning
the educational debate, now focused largely on test scores, to the fundamental
purposes of education and the importance of an informed, fair and inclusive process
for making ethical decisions for the greater good as a guiding value.
In The cultural proficiency journey: moving beyond ethical barriers toward profound
school change the authors introduce the problems caused by resistance to change, a
system of oppression and a sense of privilege and entitlement by describing the
educational conditions and achievement results in Oakland Hills, a fictitious commu-
nity with a diverse and changing school population. As the Oakland case unfolds, the
problems associated with serving only some students, not all students, in the system
become increasingly and painfully obvious. Readers examine their beliefs and prac-
tices through strategically placed exercises throughout the text.
The culturally proficient journey involves four tools: (1) subscribing to guiding
principles and core values related to culture as a foundation for moral action; (2)
gaining knowledge and awareness regarding the way historical oppression has
harmed underserved cultural groups and continues to exist in society; (3) identifying
unhealthy versus healthy ways to respond to cultural differences as represented on a
six-point continuum; and (4) adopting standards to guide and evaluate practice
related to cultural competence. The tools serve an integrated model to move the
reader from awareness of diversity, social justice and moral leadership to a method
for achieving personal and organisational change.
I highly recommend The cultural proficiency journey to school leaders to guide their
personal exploration and efforts to achieve organisational change. As a tool for
provoking personal change, the journey offers a way for teachers and administrators
to examine their personal beliefs and actions and reflect on whether they serve the
goals clearly evident in the mandate: educate all students, including each child. As a
tool for leading school reform, the authors provide plenty of graphic organisers,
examples, exercises and case studies to show how culturally proficient practice may
also guide organisational change. The books content and exercises will be likely to
522 Book reviews

lead to reflection regarding how certain conditions present in many schools may posi-
tively or adversely affect various cultural groups. Because awareness often serves as
the first step in personal and organisational change, The cultural proficient journey
serves an important role in provoking changes through reflection and offering strate-
gies to accomplish change.
In Ethical leadership in schools Strike develops a convincing philosophical and moral
argument for the goals of education and carefully guides the reader through various
ethical dilemmas. In The cultural proficiency journey CampbellJones, CampbellJones
and Lindsay offer culturally proficient tools designed to raise consciousness and
inspire moral action. Both books serve the reader desiring to understand the argu-
ment and adopt practices associated with ethical leadership in education, including
becoming more culturally competent and working toward increased social justice. As
more students achieve success and the barriers associated with oppression are
replaced by increasing fairness, equity and opportunity for each child, the value of
ethical leadership, including culturally proficient practice, will become more evident
to individuals and society as a whole.

Sarah J. Noonan, Department of Leadership, Policy and Administration, College

of Applied and Professional Studies, University of St Thomas, 1000 LaSalle Avenue,
MOH 217, Minneapolis, MN 5503-2005, USA. Email: sjnoonan@stthomas.edu

2010, Sarah J. Noonan

DOI: 10.1080/03057240.2010.521406

Tough choices for teachers: ethical challenges in todays schools and

classrooms
Robert Infantino and Rebecca Wilke, 2009
Lanham, MD, Rowman & Littlefield
$24.95 (pbk), 137 pp.
ISBN 978-1-60709-086-1

Tough choices for teachers, by Robert Infantino and Rebecca Wilke, is designed to
engage pre-service and in-service teachers in reflection upon a variety of ethical dilem-
mas that can arise in K12 settings. The book is essentially divided into two parts.
The two opening chapters offer readers a working definition of ethics, as well as an
overview of different religious and philosophical frameworks useful in contemplating
ethical dilemmas. The succeeding chapters then provide 12 case-studies based on
real-life stories that are designed to engage readers in reflection upon ethical issues
in the areas of grading, time management, hiring and interactions with colleagues,
parents, students and supervisors (p. viii). Each of these case-studies is preceded by