A Moral and Ethical Platform to Ground our Future Generations

Todays K-12 students are surrounded by examples of questionable moral and ethical
lapses. Politicians, movie stars, and highly paid athletes are routinely in the news and social
media for unlawful acts or acts of betrayal towards those that held them in trust. Families in
this era are not clearly defined as in the past and many are led by a single adult with little
time provide moral guidance. With students spending the majority of their day in school, it is
critical that the school environment is a beacon of high moral and ethical standards set and
practiced by the schools leadership team.
Ethical Leadership
Some say the principals chair is the loneliest chair in the school building. As a moral
leader, principals need to be able to specify what being ethically responsible means in any
context, and equally important, be able to articulate reasons for their actions to others. A
guiding light for any school leaders moral compass is to ensure final decisions are cohesive
and are in the best interests of the children. Nonetheless, this essential statement can become
ambiguous when the decisions are based on groups of students, small population of teachers,
programs with dwindling support, etc. The nationally renowned Interstate School Leadership
Licensure Consortium standards begin all of their declarations with promoting the success of
all students. Ethical leadership is choosing the morally right direction in a situation where
there is often no single right answer. Do you fund the new gifted and talented program or
expand the current inclusion model within your school? Do you show outside observers your
school the classrooms that exemplify outstanding teaching or a variety illustrating a holistic
view of your school? Strong ethical leadership is the ability to makes those ethical decisions
consistently, transparently, and reflectively.

Leadership Vision Matters

Even through the muddle of bureaucracy, school leaders have major discretion when
it comes to building the culture of the school they vision. For example, occasionally school
principals are faced with situations where they have extra funds to spend, but pressured over
impending deadlines. Some simply spend to keep the maintenance closets full, but others
consider long-term impacts. Is my school going 1-1 devices? How might we prepare for that?
Any schools vision should encompass addressing Maslows hierarchy of needs with each
need given appropriate weight. For example, spending money on life safety issues may not
influence test scores, but schools must be a safe environment for students and teachers. This
includes an adequate level of emotional safety for students on campus. With a clear vision
articulated no school component will overshadow others, ethical decisions can be made and
supported.
Shifting Populations
Ethical leaders must consider the shifting socio-economics and demographic traits of
our populations. Being a Caucasian male leader in Hawaii public schools requires a keen
appreciation of the need to always speak and act in a culturally sensitive and understanding
manner. My work has led to self-reflection of my privileged upbringing and how greatly
empathy is needed to instill a more compassionate and accepting world. Without empathy, a
school leader may make decisions that could be construed as unethical, such as designating
some students for Special Education services when their only need is to improve their
English fluency. The hallmark of ethical leadership is when leaders review a situation
objectively, understand all the facts, and not show partiality.