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The Importance of Ethics in Educational Leadership

In spite of all the additional pressures placed on school administrators of all levels since the Nation at Risk report, there is one aspect of educational leadership that appears to have been neglected, and that is the study of ethics. Leaders in education have very little, if any, training in ethics (Beck & Murphy, 1994). In light of the higher stakes involved, it is time to address the lack of ethics training offered to administrators, as well as the next generation working toward endorsements in K-12 as well as higher education leadership.

Some strides have been made, but the gap is still wide. The Interstate Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) devotes one of its six standards entirely to the need for building ethical leaders (Green, as cited in Czaja, 2001). This may stand as a credible first step, but Dexheimer (1969) noted there is a significant discrepancy between acceptance of a professional code and adherence to that code in actual practice by chief school administrators. Actions must be more obvious than words when it comes to truly developing the educational leaders of tomorrow.

What is involved in the training of ethics? Kritnosis (2007) examines the ethical decision-making process and introduces a foundation for which can be used in order to improve academic achievement in schools. His principles are broken down into a formula of recommendations which can be used as a guide when dealing with moral and ethical concerns.

Kritnosis breaks his suggestions into several different realms which make the complete person. They are symbolics (use of speech, symbol and gesture), empirics (being factually well informed), esthetics (having the capability to create and appreciate objects of esthetic signifcance), synnoetics (endowment of a rich and disciplined life in relation to self and others), ethics (ability to make wise decisions and judge right and wrong) and synoptics, which is the possession of an integral outlook.

In short, the realms make up the fiber of a moral human being. There is more to the equation, such as having the ability to utilize moral courage. According to Kidder (2002), Moral courage plays itself out daily, hourly, in the interstices of our lives. Without it, our brightest virtues rust from lack of use. With it, we build piece by piece a more ethical world.

Klinker and Hackmann (2003) analyzed the theories, particularly Rest's Four Component Model of Moral Behavior while

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