Amber Eaton
Winter Term, 2015
Ethical Leadership Platform
The principles of honesty, integrity, fairness, and respect are pillars for ethical school
leadership. I believe an ethical leader is someone who has a clear, professional code of ethics
and values to guide their decision-making processes. An ethical leader bases all decisions on
the core belief that student welfare and learning are at the core of every educational mission
and decision.
As an ethical leader, I believe it is crucial to value honesty or truth in all aspects of
education. An ethical leader is always searching for the true state of affairs in one's own
practices, in a school's success in educating students, and in the effectiveness of each member
and component in the overall process of education. Schmoker (2006) calls educators to face
"brutal facts" in order to guide necessary decisions and actions for change (pg. 4). This type of
honesty keeps learning and students as the compass for leading initiatives. As an ethical leader,
it is not enough to accept a lesser ideal or state when an honest evaluation with students' best
interests at heart reveals room for growth and requires change.
Educational leaders strive for excellence and use integrity to attain this goal. Integrity
guides the quest to always become better at serving and leading. Integrity allows me to
ascertain the right thing to do for my students, families, and staff.
Fairness is also a foundational principle of ethical leadership. When I walk into any
primary classroom, I am almost guaranteed to hear the word, "fair" emanate from students at
some point during the visit. In this instance, fair is not that every situation or person is entitled to
the exact same things, rather fairness for ethical leadership means that each student receives
equitable opportunities to succeed and flourish. Likewise, each staff member receives fair and
equitable opportunities and support for their teaching.
I believe respect is a key ingredient in being an ethical leader. Respect is integral
because, regardless of the differences in roles that one may serve within the school, each
person is part of the process and deserves to be valued and respected. The word, "respect," is
found in almost every school mantra for student behavior. As an ethical leader, it is imperative
that respect is modeled in daily actions and interactions.
Ethical leadership builds trust with students, families, community, and staff. Maintaining
a clear, ethical stance in practice will allow for little doubt in one's mission to achieve success for
all students.
References
Schmoker, M. (2006). Results Now: How we can achieve unprecedented improvements in
teaching and learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.