Reference no: EM133155465 , Length: word count:2500
7248EDN Navigating Educational Leadership - Griffith University
Assessment Task: General
Leaders and ethical decision making
Learning outcome 1: Convey understanding of the impact of policy on the decision making of educational leaders.
Learning outcome 2: Demonstrate understanding of ethics and ethical issues in educational environments.
Task description
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This assignment asks you to apply your understanding of ethical issues in education. Yourassignment should have three parts.
The first part requires you to respond to a decision-making scenario (provided through Learning @Griffith) by discussing the leader's decision making through the lens of the four ethical frameworksincluded in the course content.
In the second part, you are asked to briefly describe an issue that has occurred or could occur in aneducational context, for which there is no immediately apparent solution based on the facts of thematter alone.
In the third part, you should discuss, with reference to the theoretical literature, how an educationalleader, behaving ethically, should approach the issue to reach a defensible resolution.
2500 words plus references
Topic - Articulation
Engagement with ethical traditions
Engagement with theoretical literature
Analytic discussion
Academic and English literacy
DECISION MAKING SCENARIO
A Principal's Prayer (Conflict of Views)
Noel Flanders is the principal of a primary school in a rural setting. Noel is a committed Christian. Shortly after taking up his appointment, Noel decided that the children should say a school prayer on parade each morning.
He decided to take this initiative alone and to go with his own personal values. This was despite his commitment to consultative and participatory decision making and the fact that State Schools are secular and non-denominational. They accept students from all religious backgrounds and favour none.
He explains his decision as follows:
"On most things new I consult the staff, very much so. But on other things if I decide that there is a need, or if I decide it's in the best interests of the school, I will make that decision - no questions asked".
He continues:
"I introduced the prayer and nothing was said for quite a few weeks. We had a staff meeting and a couple of staff members wished to raise it. I said, ‘That's fine'. They felt that it probably should have had more consultation with the staff. I thanked them for their input. I said that I felt I had a very useful way of resolving the issue. I said, ‘Well how about giving this to the parent body of the school, so the P&C can decide on this?' That's exactly what happened. It was discussed at the P&C meeting and I'm very pleased that the P&C supported me 100 per cent. The result was reported to the staff and as far as I was concerned that was the end of the issue".
Deontological Framework
1. What relevant ethical considerations were overridden in this Principal's decision making process?
2. Could the Principal satisfactorily justify his decision to the Department?
3. Was this Principal's decision fair and just? Why or why not?
4. Whose rights were acknowledged and protected?
Consequentialist Framework
1. Could the Principal have used an alternative framework for this decision?
2. What negative consequences might there be (if any) for those students who are non-Christian? Are these morally relevant?
3. Are there any foreseeable negative consequences of this Principal's actions with respect to Departmental policy on the matter?
Ethic of Care Framework
1. Do you agree with the Principal that not all decisions are or should be consultative and participatory? Justify your response.
2. What might have been achieved if the Principal had consulted staff prior to implementing his decision?
Virtue Ethics Framework
1. Should virtue ethics play a role in this scenario? What virtues or vices were on display here?
2. Should a school leader's own personal/moral values impinge upon the personal values of others? Under what circumstances?
Attachment:- Navigating Educational Leadership.rar