Preparing Ethical Leaders

Preparing Ethical Leaders for a Caring School Community

Roger Wiemers, Associate Professor

Tennessee State University
3500 James A. Merritt Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37209
615-333-8472 (h)
615-963-5479 (w)
615-963-5114 (f)
rwiemers@tnstate.edu

Tammy Shutt, Assistant Professor

Austin Peay State University
601 College St.
P.O. Box 4545
Clarksville, TN 37044
615-791-4273 (h)
931-221-1249 (w)
931-221-1292 (f)
shuttt@apsu.edu
 Preparing Ethical Leaders

Preparing Ethical Leaders for a Caring School Community

Introduction

The school leader is vital to the success of any school and sets the tone of the building for

both instruction and climate. Reflective decision-making must incorporate ethics and values in

order to meet the needs of a diverse school community. The leader of the school needs to instill

trust in the community to be effective. “Lying erodes trust. …. Trust is important because it is a

condition of community, and a sense of community is essential to good education” (Strike, 2007,

p. 17). Additionally, Workforce Management (2003) indicates:

Ethical leaders set the standard of truth for every employee they lead. The moment

people take leadership positions, they have an opportunity to place the highest premium

on truthfulness. Recent cases of fiscal malfeasance at Enron, WorldCom and Arthur

Andersen illistrate the need for every form of communication leaders put forth to be an

accurate representation. (p. 1)

Preparation Programs and the Importance of Ethical Leaders

Traditional educational leadership preparation programs have provided candidates with a

plethora of theory on leadership. Practical experiences have been limited, if provided at all, in

these programs. “By their nature, most schools do not encourage discussion of ethical issues;

educators spend most of the day isolated from one another, and time is always at a premium”

(Lashway, 1996, p. 4). As universities have been called upon to prepare school leaders in a more

standards-based or practitioner-driven approach, it is vital that reflection on ethical decision-

making becomes an integral part of the preparation. Ethical decisions must be made in regard to

curriculum, instruction, discipline, human relations, and the entire range of the school

community. School leaders must promote the success of all students by understanding the
 Preparing Ethical Leaders

diverse school community. The leader should serve as a role model by demonstrating

appreciation for the diversity of the school and promoting a peaceful and caring school culture.

School leaders have had to make decisions for years that impact future generations

(Shapiro & Gross, 2008). It is important that decisions be made in a rational, ethical manner.

Preparation programs need to provide opportunities for leadership candidates that encourage

reflective thought on emotional dilemmas. Practical application in field settings with real life

situations provides an avenue for candidates to make decisions, analyze and reflect on those

decisions, and determine outcomes of those decisions.

The American Association of School Administrators provides the following statement of

standard: “The educational administrator: Fulfills professional responsibilities with honesty and

integrity” (Rebore, 2001, p. 136). Traditional programs have been weak when it comes to course

offerings related to ethical leadership. As the demand for increased accountability rises, the need

to include course work related to ethical decision-making increases exponentially. Standards-

based prepartation programs will need to be adjusted to accommodate currently limited

opportunities to practice ethical decision-making in situational vingettes.

An Explanation of the Literature

In the United States for the past couple of decades, effective school leadership has been

concerned with meeting ISLLC standards. ISLLC is the abbreviation of Interstate School

Leaders Licensure Consortium, and the standards are the product of the highest ranking state

school officers – the Council of Chief State School Officers. The existing standards were written

to make school systems and leaders accountable for properly administering schools.

ISLLC Standard 5 is an important standard that may not have been given its proper

degree of relevance in recent times. The standard reads, “A school administrator is an

 Preparing Ethical Leaders

educational leader who promotes the success of all students by acting with integrity, fairness, and

in an ethical manner.” Each standard begins with the same terms about promoting the success of

all students, but Standard 5 is unique because it calls for school leaders to act with “integrity,

fairness, and in an ethical manner.” Though ethical activity has been expected for quite some

time, those who train school leaders have oftentimes relegated the study of ethics to a secondary

role or it has been subsumed within other subjects, like school law or leadership qualities.

What is ethics? According to Strike (2007), ethics is much more that mere morality: what

is right and what is wrong. Morality is more concerned with a person’s individual conduct and

separates the individual from the community and the concept of leadership. Strike contended that

in a discussion of educational administration, ethics must be reconnected to the nature of good

education, good school communities, and good leadership (2007). Morality is important for the

individual, and ethics is important for the community.

Rebore (2001) believed that ISLLC Standard 5 deals with the ethics of school leadership,

but that it does not provide a theoretical base for understanding ethics, nor does it provide any

specifics about implementing the standard. This may be one reason that so many higher

education institutions have pushed the study of ethical school leadership to a non-primary

position in their curricula. Ethics in educational leadership should be relevant, according to

Rebore (2001), because it explores issues that are important to human decision-making that

require reflection upon values that are at the core of any human endeavor (p. 7). The study of

ethics is also relevant because the use of an ethical approach to decision-making involves a

disciplined way of thinking and it involves leaders in potentially different responses to issues

than those associated with management or the instructional force (Rebore).

 Preparing Ethical Leaders

Hoyle (2002) emphasized the “force of love” when discussing the concept of ethics. Fifty

years of research and best practice concludes that through the fat and the lean years, managers

who place the welfare of employees over the bottom line, not only will survive, but will lead the

industry. Love is more than a word in high-performing schools. Hoyle (2002) stated that “caring

for others is paramount for organizations to reach their potential. For centuries, writers have

inspired us to lead with the heart, soul, integrity, kindness, vision, and equity, but only a few

have focused on love as a leadership force and the implications for love in the leadership act” (p.

101). When referencing Hoyle’s book, Deal stated that “Love is caring and compassion,

something today's schools need more than standards and high-stakes tests. Hoyle's book provides

both a wake-up call and a roadmap for leaders to follow in bringing love and work together"

(front cover). According to Hoyle (2002), without the ethical compass of love, school leaders

will place themselves in a position of too much importance which will lead “to arrogance,

dishonesty, and a lack of sensitivity and love for those we influence” (p. 63). Love must become

the primary force in a leader’s ethical approach.

With these three works on ethics for school leaders in mind, three questions could be

generated to review and advance a discussion of ethical school leadership:

- Question 1 - How should standards be met in an educational community where human

decision-making is based on values which may be differing? (Rebore)

- Question 2 - How can the educational leader serve others best using the force of love to fulfill

their greatest need in the school community? (Hoyle)

- Question 3 - How should school leaders consider the concept of “living well together” as they

ethically approach leading in the school community? (Strike)

 Preparing Ethical Leaders

In attempts to answer Question 1, authors have provided varying insights on how to be an

ethical leadership in a standards-based society. Johnson and Uline (2005) stressed the importance

of elevating the needs of students beyond conflicting adult concerns in the school. They

emphasized the early language of each ISLLC standard: “A school administrator is an

educational leader who promotes the success of all students…” The unyielding focus of school

leaders must be upon the best interests of all students. Battleground issues among conflicting

school leaders must be minimized to insure service to students. Klimek, Ritzenhein, and Sullivan

(2008) promoted the generative school leader paradigm. A generative school leader “deepens

personal knowledge, engages in personal reflection, promotes professional conversations, blends

living systems theory with practice, relies on creativity and innovation, and leads toward a

desired state” (p. 58). Rather than being a traditional leader that maintains order, remains

consistent, and ensures compliance with standards, generative leaders create dynamic systems

that question assumptions, release creativity, and cause confidence among workers who

recognize their value, empowerment, and ability to innovatively shape the future. Through the

dynamic systems product, standards are met, but not by focusing on standards, but by focusing

on an envisioned future (Klimek, Ritzenheim, and Sullivan, 2008, p. 55). Edmonson and Fisher

(2002) recommended that school leaders need strong models in ethical behaviors to act as

mentors. They also concluded that professional organizations should promote and maintain high

ethical standards, and that institutions that train school leaders should make reflective practice in

ethics a part of their professional curriculum. Standards are difficult to negotiate without clear

definitions and examples to follow (Edmonson and Fisher, 2002).

Approaches to addressing Question 2 require that professionals understand Hoyle’s

concept of “love” (2002). Hoyle uses the Greek word agape in referring to the highest form of
 Preparing Ethical Leaders

love. It is unselfish, self-giving, and not self-seeking: being given unconditionally to all, even

those who are unwilling or unable to return the gift of agape. Kussrow and Purland (2001)

examined ethical leadership through a lens of following a higher moral path, being genuine to a

set of values, and behaving according to accepted, universal truths. They questioned those who

followed “truth” which was only personal, not universal. They expressed one absolute truth that

should be considered: “service to others before self” (Kussrow and Purland, 2001, p. 7). A

congruent leader is one who allows this truth to flow from belief (values) to action (behaviors).

In a similar fashion, Noddings (2006) wrote of the need for leaders to be caring. Caring in this

context is more than a “feel good” approach, but it involves using proper motivation, listening

skills, and inviting responsible experimentation in teaching. The result of schooling should not

be to produce uniform products (students). Ethical leaders should be about the practice of being

responsive to the needs of those being served (Noddings, 2006). Using Keirsey’s Temperament

Model, Mills (2006) expressed the need for leaders to use a variety of ethical decision-making

models based on the personality types of individuals involved. This was considered a caring

approach because assumptions would not be made about people, rather knowing (caring) them, a

rational decision would be made to meet their need and that of others involved as well.

Question 3, based on Strike’s (2007) work, examines ethical leadership from the

standpoint of school communities and the concept of “living well together.” Sergiovanni (1992)

stated that one source for leadership authority is moral authority. Moral authority is not

individual belief or morality, but widely shared beliefs and ideas of the community. Where moral

authority is used, teachers respond to “shared commitments and felt interdependence” (p. 31).

Sergiovanni expressed the need to begin with the what to follow, rather than the who to follow.

What being “the shared values and beliefs that define us as a community, and the ideals that
 Preparing Ethical Leaders

define us as professionals” (p. 32). We learn to live well together when we consider what we are

following. Woods (2006) called for a re-centering of school culture through an ethical leadership

approach that embraces democracy in the school community. This cultural re-centering needs “to

encompass a shared vision and values orientated towards democratic ideals and practices.

Moreover, the point is not for it to be just a vision that is set down in text, but one that is

constituted through everyday dialogue and, hence, is part of the creative fashioning of

educational discourses” (p. 331). In a democratic community, living well together must be based

upon true democratic practices. In a Canadian study that examined the designing of a program in

educational leadership, Aitken, Bedard, and Darroch (2003) recognized that there has been a lack

of attention to ethics in previous programs. School leadership preparation should be centered

around producing principals who are moral stewards and community builders. Educators who are

principals will develop communities who “live well together” when they are prepared in a more

holistic and integrated approach.

Brundett (2000) examined the origins of the competence-based movements in England,

especially in the realm of leadership training paradigms. Reliance upon standards and a

measuring of outcomes in relation to standards are products of competence-based movements.

Though Brundett did not berate competence-based approaches, there was a resolute examination

of the unresolved tensions that are associated with them. “Questions remain, however, as to how

far the governmentally inspired leadership programmes have moved beyond the more reductivist

elements of the competence paradigm towards educational programmes that develop the kind of

reflective knowing and higher order cognitive abilities that will undoubtedly be required by

leaders in the increasingly complex world of educational leadership in the twenty-first century”

(p. 366). These questions are also evident for leadership training programs throughout the world
 Preparing Ethical Leaders

that are reliant upon standards-based approaches which leave little room for reflection and

critical examination of ethical decision-making. Both in Texas and Queensland, Australia,

studies have shown that current educational administrators are unprepared to meet the

confrontation of ethical decision-making (Edmonson and Fisher, 2002; Dempster, Carter,

Freakley, and Parry, 2004). In Texas, students of educational leadership programs were surveyed

using ethical scenarios. More than 86% of the students scored at the 70 percent or below level

(Edmonson and Fisher, 2002). With this dismal expression of administrative students’ ethical

awareness, what can be expected of the school leaders of tomorrow? And, in Australia, it was

discovered through an extensive study of ethical decision-making among principals that these

leaders were under-prepared to meet the challenge. “What is needed is knowledgeable and

politically astute principals who are able to negotiate their way through the macro-contextual and

micro-contextual influences on them to reach ethically defensible decisions when troublesome

matters arise, as they inevitably will” (Dempster, Carter, Freakley, and Parry, 2004, p. 173).

Aitken, Bedard, and Darroch (2003) argued that educational leadership programs must move

away from a “silo approach” where topics are taught in designated courses to a more “holistic,

focused, and integrated preparation of school leaders” (p. 34). This integrated approach would

prepare these principals as educators, moral stewards, and community builders, and it would

return to a focus on ethics.

Scope of Ethics

When we consider the scope of ethics in this writing, we collapse our thoughts into

several encompassing principles. First, the purpose of schooling must be considered. Learning is

the ultimate goal. Not just the learning of facts, but the learning of “living.” When schools open

it is for the purpose of learning – learning by students, teachers, administrators, and parents. An
 Preparing Ethical Leaders

ethical leader then approaches any decision with the ultimate purpose in mind – will we learn

from this choice. That is, will we as a community of learners grow in understanding as we pass

through this decision-making experience; knowing that few decisions are perfect, and nearly all

decisions have the capacity for some ill effects. Our three major questions can be answered to

some degree through seeking this ultimate purpose. Every standard demands learning; love seeks

learning for others because that is what is good for them; and we can live well together as a

community if we are learning and understanding each other. To be ethical as leaders means that

we should want our community to always learn – this is a basic truth of schooling.

Second, ethical leaders must be genuine. The first and foremost quality of a good teacher

is genuineness. The same is true of an educational leader. As expressed by Strike (2007), Hoyle

(2002), and Rebore (2001), universal truths like integrity must be at the heart of ethical practice.

A person cannot be ethical if s/he is not true to her/himself. Counterfeit teachers are recognized

by their students within a matter of days (sometimes, a matter of hours), and then, they lose

respect and the ability to teach. The same is true of hypocritical leaders. A leader who espouses a

position that is not held intrinsically by him will lose the ears and hearts of those who are asked

to follow. In what position does this place leaders? Well, answering the three major questions

may give us some insight. In a values diverse society, standards are the basic educational goals

that we can all agree upon as minimal. An ethical, democratic leader would recognize this truth

and seek to help her learning community to reach those standards; otherwise, she would remove

herself from the leadership role knowing that a hypocritical approach would disable the entire

learning community. Likewise, agape love would motivate the genuine leader to seek the good

of the entire community. This type of love cannot be counterfeited – a selfish leader would be

exposed rather quickly and then the learning community would not live well together. To be
 Preparing Ethical Leaders

ethical as leaders means to be real or congruent (Kussrow and Purland, 2001), combining

behaviors with the realities/beliefs of heart and mind.

Third, ethical leaders must be reflective practitioners. Reflective practice is a primary

behavior of ethical leaders (Klimek, Ritzenheim, and Sullivan, 2008). Almost all of the authors

examined in this writing have touted reflection as an important tool of educational leaders. To be

more specific, reflection must be aimed in order to be powerful. Reflection can be too general

and never produce its ultimate value. In a diverse learning community, reflection will become the

closest ally of an ethical administrator. Reflection will be aimed at the who of the learning

community, the what of the learning model, and the why of the learning process. Leaders who

reflect upon their learning fellows (students, teachers, parents, etc.) will understand them better

and know how to make decisions that will provide for their ultimate good. Leaders who reflect

upon the learning standards (goals, overall schooling purpose) will ultimately sense how they fit

into the concept of learning to live and will help shape experiences for all learners to enjoy that

prize. Leaders who reflect upon the learning purpose will recognize that seeking the good of

others is an ultimate fulfillment in itself. Reflecting on decisions to be made will take ethical

leaders through these who, what, why avenues of thought leading to purposeful practice.

One way of considering this ethical practice of leaders is seen in examining the Model of

Reality Consciousness (Wiemers, 2004) (see Figure 1). In multiple situations, all people pass

through the stages of reality consciousness as they seek to arrive at a point of action (for

example, a decision). Most people would go through the stages in an unconscious manner, not

realizing what they are doing because they have experienced it so many times before. In this

context of ethical leadership, a leader would begin at the stage of being. Questions like who am I,

or what is my role in this community would embody reflection at the outset. An ethical leader
 Preparing Ethical Leaders

would want to know genuinely about her/himself before proceeding with a decision. S/he would

follow an understanding of self with an internal examination of having, that is, what is available

to her/him as resources for the decision. This may be tangible resources like finances or

materials, or it may be qualities like the climate of the school or the talents of the faculty. After

assessing the resources, the ethical leader would advance through knowing where she would

deeply consider what is known about potential outcomes. Knowledge would be both academic

and experiential, that is, what she has learned through the leadership preparation process and

through her own experience as an educator, leader, and follower. Finally, the leader would reach

the doing stage where he would make a decision based on what was assessed through the first

three stages. This basic stage model can be circumnavigated in a matter of seconds or it may take

weeks based upon the situation be considered. An ethical leader does not avoid any of the fixed

stages of the Model of Reality Consciousness. He allows the intrinsic value inherent in each

stage to help him make the best decision for the situation.

Figure 1: Model of Reality Consciousness (Wiemers, R., 2004. Wollongong, Australia)

 Preparing Ethical Leaders

Practical Ways to Prepare Leaders

Preparation programs can incorporate a variety of methods to help candidates develop the

ability to reflect and make ethical decisions regarding every aspect of the school and the

community. Student welfare should be the basis for every decision made and, without

opportunities to practice, candidates may not be fully equipped to make ethical decisions.

Case studies, situational vignettes, and practicum opportunities provide excellent avenues

for development of reflective practice. The inclusion of ethical dilemmas in these field-based

activities encourages candidates to look beyond the immediate result to the future impact of

decisions. These activities offer opportunites for candidates to “inquire, reason, and act with

organizational purposes firmly in mind” (Johnson, 2005, p. 1). Leadership preparation programs

that focus on the centrality of teaching and learning, democratic leadership, attentiveness to

relationships, and decision-making grounded in the ethic of care should be emphasized because

they produce school administrators who have the potential to be ethical leaders (Williamson and

Hudson, 2002).

School-based activities provide candidates the opportunity to collaborate with

experienced leaders and teachers. “Wise leaders collaborate to incorporate best practices, solve

problems, and address the issues facing their organizations” (Workforce, 2008, p. 2). People

become ethical leaders by practicing ethical reasonsing and decision-making. The experiences

provided by school placement will ensure that leadership candidates self reflect and analyze with

the guidance of veteran leaders.

The inclusion of courses related to ethical leadership and decision-making varies widely

from university to university. Several programs require a course in ethics while some provide a

course as an elective. Still others do not offer any course work dedicated to ethical leadership
 Preparing Ethical Leaders

and decision-making. The inclusion of course work that is of a quality commiserate with

graduate level work should be the norm and not the exception. Course work providing the

opportunity for collaborative decision-making and hands-on experience enhances the candidates’

ability to reflect and make decisions with integrity. Preparation programs such as the one at The

Citadel School of Education infuse ethics throughout the program. “All courses in the School of

Education address the critical issues of ethics, morality, and leadership in teaching. …. The

culminiating professional internship allows the student the opportunity to model the highest

moral and ethical practices” (Lehr, 2003, p. 4). The ability to make informed decisions comes

from practice and must be intrinsic in the thought process of an ethical leader.

Conclusion

Educational leaders make decisions daily that have widespread impact. Preparing ethical

leaders for a caring school community is vital. “Whatever virtue is desired, moral philosophers

going back to Aristotle have emphasized, it must become a habit” (Lashway, 1996, p. 4).

Preparation programs must incorporate opportunities for students to practice ethical decision-

making in actual settings as well as through collaborative study. The demand for accountability

has increased the scrutiny educational leaders encounter. Because of the value placed on test

scores, “a need prevails for our school learning communitites, state agencies, and law makers to

be sensitive to and supportive of colleagues to be sure that the pressure to make the grade does

not impact ethical leadership” (Taylor & Strickland, 2002, p. 299).

 Preparing Ethical Leaders

References

Aitken, A., Bedard, G., & Darroch, A. (2003). Designing a master program in education

leadership: Trends, reflections, and conclusions. A paper presented to the Faculty of

Education, University of Lethbridge (ERIC Reproduction Service No. ED475008).

Brundrett, M. (2000). The question of competence: The programs, strengths, and inadequacies of

a leadership training paradigm. School Leadership and management, 20(3), 353-369.

Dempster, N., Carter, L., Freakley, M. & Parry, L. (2004). Contextual influences on school

leaders in Australia: Some data from a recent study of principals’ ethical decision-

making. School Leadership and Management, 24(2), 163-174.

Edmonson, S. & Fisher, A. (February, 2002). Creating ethical administrators: A challenge for

both professor and practitioner. A paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the

American Association of School Administrators (ERIC Reproduction Service No.

ED470756).

Hoyle, J. R. (2002). Leadership and the force of love: Six keys to motivating with love. Thousand

Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Johnson, K.W. (2005). The role of leadership in organizational integrity, and five modes of

ethical leadership. EPIC-Online.net. Retrieved June 5, 2008, from

http://www.ethicaledge.com/quest_4.html

Johnson, J. & Uline, C. (2005). Preparing educational leaders to close achievement gaps.

Theory Into Practice, 44(1), 45-52.

Klimek, K., Ritzenhein, E., & Sullivan, K., (2008). Generative leadership: Shaping new

futures for today’s schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.
 Preparing Ethical Leaders

Kussrow, P. and Purland, J., (2001). In search of the congruent leader. (ERIC Reproduction

Service No. ED456501).

Lashway, L. (1996). Ethical Leadership. Eric Digest, Number 107. (ERIC Document

Reproduction Service No. ED397463)

Lehr, J. B. (2003). Education: Using learner-centered education to prepare teachers for ethical

leadership. BNET.com. Retrieved June 3, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/aritlces/mi

qa3673/is 200310/ai b9332103/print

Mills, R. (2006). The Keirsey Temperament model: A model for helping educational

administrators facilitate ethical decision making. Education, 126(3), 512-517.

Noddings, N. (2006). Educational leaders as caring teachers. School Leadership and

Management, 26(4), 339-345.

Rebore, R.W. (2001). The ethics of educational leadership. Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice

Hall.

Sergiovanni, T. (1992). Moral leadership: Getting to the heart of school improvement. San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

Shapiro, J. P. & Gross, S. J. (2008). Ethical educational leadership in turbulent times:

(Re)solving moral delimmas. New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Shutt, T. & Stewart, G. (in press). Educational leadership: Creating a community of love and

respect. The Journal of Interdisciplinary Education.

Strike, K. A. (2007). Ethical leadership in schools: Creating community in an environment of

accountability. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Taylor, R. & Strickland, J. S. (2002). Ethical leadership while making the grade. The

International Journal of Educational Management, 16, 297-299.

 Preparing Ethical Leaders

Workforce Management (2008). Five standards of excellence practiced by ethical leaders.

Retrieved June 5, 2008, from

http://www.workforce.com/section/09/article/23/55/60_printer.html

Wiemers, R. (August, 2004). Educational implications of the theory of reality consciousness.

Paper presented at the 11th Triennial World Conference of the World Council for

Curriculum and Instruction, Wollongong, Australia.

Williamson, R. & Hudson, M. (April, 2002). Breaking the bonds: Women school leaders

confront the effects of socialization. A paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the

American Educational Research Association. (ERIC Reproduction Service No.

ED465705).

Woods, P. (2006). A democracy of all learners: Ethical rationality and the affective roots of

democratic leadership. School Leadership and Management, 26(4), 321-337.

View publication stats