Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jacob Tucker
The role of an administrator is more complex today than it ever has been. This reality is
based on the amount of decisions an administrator is required to make. Daresh and Alexander
(2016) explain that principals make hundreds, perhaps thousands of decisions each day. So how
do I ensure that I am truly making decisions that safeguard the values of democracy, equity and
diversity and promote social justice while ensuring that individual student needs inform all
aspects of schooling? Starratt (1991) and Furman (2004) develop four ethical frames in which to
make these decisions; the ethics of justice, critique, care, and community. In no particular
order, these frames will guide our decisions in terms of ethics and morals within our school
community.
The ethics of justice utilizes the existing laws, rights, or procedures to make decisions. In
many situations we will be required to adhere to the rules. “We govern ourselves by observing
justice. That is, we treat each other according to some standard of justice that in uniformly
applied to all our relationships” (Starratt 1991, pg. 191). There will be situations in which the
governing rules, laws, or procedures will be greatest factor in the ultimate decision making
process. However, it is becoming more and more obvious that there are underlying inequities
that exist in society. This is where the ethics of critique come in to play. The ethics of critique
requires questions such as: Who benefits? Which group dominates the social arrangement? The
ethic of critique requires us to respond by first considering the outcomes for marginalized
populations.
TUCKER, JACOB 1
In contradiction, the ethics of care and community are people-centered. These ideas
require making decisions based on how they can affect people. It draws into our humanity.
Staratt (1991) explains that the ethics of justice cannot serve its purpose without being
complemented by an ethic of love. The ethic of care focuses on the demands of relationships
rather than a contractual or legalistic standpoint. Furman (2004) takes this point even further
connection with others, is based in relationships, which depend in turn on the ongoing
indicators such as “shared values” and “shared decision making.” Thus, community is not a
product or entity that can be measured, but an ongoing set of processes that are facilitated by
educators who understand and are committed to these processes” (pg. 221). In other words,
decisions should be made with the school community in mind and should be made by the collective as
much as possible, not by one individual. “It is only through “social discourse” that the voices of the
marginalized can be heard and the inequities of the system can be exposed” (Furman 2014, pg.220).
Daresh and Alexander (2016) explain that the decisions made by administrators never come
with “answer keys”, but that these decisions are judged by the inclusions of morals and ethics. As your
administrator I promise to make the best decisions I possibly can, and will do so utilizing the frames of
ethics mentioned. When needed, I will make decisions that are solely based on the ethics of justice. I will
try to always consider marginalized populations by utilizing the ethics of critique. I promise to make
decisions based on an act of love and care for individuals using the ethics of care. And finally, I promise
to include the school community in as many decisions as possible and to make decisions that ultimately
TUCKER, JACOB 2
References
Furman, Gail. (2004). The ethic of community. Journal of Educational Administration, 42(2), 215-
235.
Starratt, Robert. 1991. Building an ethical school: a theory for practice in educational leadership.
Daresh, J. & Alexander, L. (2016). Beginning the principalship: a practical guide for new school
TUCKER, JACOB 3