Identifies highest standards in professional collaboration, duty to stakeholders, the extent of professional responsibility extending beyond matters of designated and measurable accountability and finally, commitment to the community served. The course will merge the best of the technical literature by professional ethicists with an emphasis on practice and continuous improvement. Teaching strategies will include case studies, guest speakers, simulations and skills development experience.
Vision of Course Conduct: Education is participation in the Great Conversation of Humankind: Learning is a shift in conceptual horizon.
Intended Audience: Those planning on senior-level administration and scholarly research in the profession requiring a doctorate.
I. Purpose of the Course
The purpose of the course is to help dedicated educational administrators understand what it means to say that leadership, leadership of any kind, is moral architecture. In particular, educational leadership presumably aims at a way of civil and enlightened life.
II. Objectives of the Course
This seminar will consider the interplay of educational theory and classroom practice. Students will:
Define the moral commitments of the administrator including responsibility for student learning, faculty leadership, employee management, school board and community relations.
Define administrator responsibilities and obligations, toward all stakeholders noting the difference between subjective values on the one hand and intersubjective and objective morals and professional ethics on the other.
Identify extraordinary administrative issues affecting special populations, such as de jure and de facto segregation, mainstreaming, and the identifying and placing of students according to special characteristics and needs.
Describe how the language of management principles including cost/benefit analysis can be mutually accommodating to the language of moral and professional discourse
Describe the effect of institutional culture and prescribed codes of professional ethics on learning and cognitive styles and on the patterns of school achievement.
Identify apt heuristical procedures for identifying conflicts of duty, prioritization of obligations and so on.
Discuss the commitment of educational leaders when dealing with matters resting on the edge of legal adjudication ranging from personnel matters to religious tolerance, curricular inclusion of materials controversial to some members of the community and so on.
III. Text and Additional Reading Resources
Text (Required)
Kenneth Strike, Haller, Emil and Soltis, Jonas, The Ethics of School Administration Wagner and Kierstead, Moral Self-assessment Protocol Willower, Donald and Licata, Joseph, Values and Valuation in the Practice of Educational Administration
Text Optional (Each Section as Needed)
P. Forni, Choosing Civility T. Sergiovanni, Moral Leadership S. Carter, Integrity E. Sober and D. S. Wilson, Unto Others J. Rawls, A Theory of Justice B. Kdyrms, The Stag Hunt B. Barasch, Survival
IV. Prerequisite Skills for the Course
The student must have previous experience with semantic analysis, informal logic, ethical theory and be able to clearly articulate a line of argument.
V. Course Expectations
Assignments
Readings: Students will be required to read the assigned readings in their entirety. Classroom discussions will be predicated on ideas and concepts related to the reading assignments.
Written Assignments: Please note that the professor will not accept any late assignments. Repeat, no assignment will be accepted late for ANY reason.
So, for example, when assignments are submitted via the internet, e-mail or any other technology, it is the responsibility of the student to assure that the transmission has been completed by the appropriate due date and time. In other words, the professor allows students to utilize technology as a courtesy, and at student risk. Any circumstance that renders the internet, e-mail, any servers, or library, school, or home computers or fax machines as incapable of properly transmitting student assignments in a timely manner does not in any way alter or remove the deadline for any assignment.
1. Group Presentation: There will be two elements to the group presentation: a thirty-minute, oral presentation by one or two group members and a handout which will include three parts: A.) A two-page summary of the book, B.) A selection of judiciously selected quotes from the text and C.) A critical review of the contents of the text from the point of view of the group. This may be divided into a majority opinion if the group thinks the diversity of opinion within the group demands such a treatment.
2. Case Study One: Students will analyze a set of actual circumstances as follows: Moral Issues raised: List each of the moral issues that you believe are prompted by reflection on the facts of the situation.
Facts: Describe as straightforwardly as possible the facts of an actual situation wherein an administrator was confronted with a difficult moral situation. Use your own discretion with regards to identifying references to the people or institution involved.
Principle on which the decision must rest: You will not arrive at a decision of right or wrong, good or bad. You will identify a principle that you think is the central issue and upon which the case ultimately rests. You will be graded in large part on how you are able to frame the principle at issue without belying your own sensitivities toward the situation.
3 Analysis of School District Policy (Individual Project) Case Study 2 Select the policy from your school district on Sexual Harassment and write a short paper describing and analyzing the policy by using the following rubric. Be prepared to discuss in class.
Define a policy
Purpose for having policies
History of your policy selection (background) Why is it being established?
Outline how a policy is established in your school district. How is it different than Handout?
Process for review. How is it different than handout? (Process for District- wide Policy Review)
Concluding statement
Attach a copy of the policy
All written assignments must go beyond the technical/descriptive to the relationship/analytic in their treatment of the topics. This means you must interrogate your topic, not merely describe it.
4 Controversy Case Study: A paper on a Controversial Educational Policy or a Recommended Reform.
The student will write a short (3-5 pages) literature review paper and prepare a discussion on the debate surrounding a controversial educational policy being discussed in your community or nationwide. The question is: How do you measure the impact of staff development on student achievement?
Present the pros versus cons of your topic and interrogate it with questions like: (or questions that you would like answered)
Who benefits? Who is marginalized?
Are teachers de-skilled? Empowered? How?
Does proposed reform or policy contribute to democratic (as opposed to economic) ends?
If your selected Reform/Issue is the answer, what is the question? Are you sure?
David Purpel defines the "Trivialization" of educational discourse as:
Evasion or neglect of larger, more critical topics (social injustice, moral numbness, spiritual alienation, etc., AND
Stress on technical rather than on social, political, moral issues. Does your reform/Issue qualify as "Trivial" according to Purpel's criteria? Why?/Why not?
Does your Reform/Issue focus on some technical solution to what is not really a technical problem? If so, what might the real problem be? (Controversy over "Equal Ed. Opportunity", for example, yields "technical" solutions - Head Start, magnet Schools, etc. The real problem, however, is cultural and moral, not technical. The deeper issues (evaded by technical studies on how to ameliorate problems within existing arrangements) involves questions of who should and can be truly educated, and who deserves the full development of their creative and reflective potential.
What assumptions about teachers, learners, role of school, etc. are made (but unstated) by your issue/reform? (The assumption of my questions, for example, is that educational reform cannot be understood in a socio-cultural vacuum. It must be situated within the real world of politics versus social power.)
Is the reform ameliorative or transformative?
What do the experts say?
All sources should be appropriately cited and referenced according to the APA Style (5th edition).
Class Mid-Term and Final: Students will receive the mid-term and final examination assignments. These assignments are created to encourage analysis of situations and application of course content. The mid-term and final examination are due when indicated on the syllabus. Please note that these assignments are opportunities for students to provide written, documented evidence of student learning. As such, students should engage in providing references to course materials and discussions as those connections become relevant. It is incumbent upon the student to show learning at every opportunity. LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Evaluation (Course)
1. Materials 2. Teacher 3. Course in general 4. Student
Evaluation (Student)
First case study analysis
10%
Mid-term (Very detailed over Glossary and 3 chapters in Strike)
10%
Final Examination based on text
20%
Analysis of District Sexual Harrassment Policy
10%
Summary statement of the position of a professional ethicist and your extrapolation of it to ethical management practices in the schools
20%
Controversial Case study analysis
10%
Presentation: Handout including summary, critical review, set of quotes
20%
Other Assignments
Moral Self-Assessment Protocol (Must be completed to receive credit for the course. No point value assigned. MSAP use quiz must also be completed.)
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to be on time for class and to be present for the entirety of each scheduled class. The professor adheres to the concept that there is no such thing as an "excused" or "unexcused" absence. Common courtesy dictates that a student missing a class will contact the professor in advance. In extenuating circumstances and at student request, the professor may assign and/or negotiate alternative work for a missed class. One absence or two tardies may result in the final grade being reduced by one grade point.
Missed Work Policy
You are responsible for getting any information you miss during an absence from a classmate.
In general, there will be no opportunities to make up missed work and no allowances for work that is late. At the instructor's discretion and based only on solid evidence, such as a doctor's note on office stationery, will students be allowed to submit work late. For missed examinations, the student will receive an "F" unless arrangements have been made in writing with the instructor ahead of time. Two other items of evidence that may be considered are a time-stamped hospital admission or time-stamped traffic ticket. The assignment for missed work will involve the purchase of an additional book for purposes of highlighting, review and written commentary.
Student Accommodations Under the Americans with Disabilities Act: Any individual with a disability who requires a special accommodation should inform the professor and contact the Disability Services office, Student Services/ Classroom Building, Room 1.301, or call (281) 283-2626.
Honesty Code: The Honesty Code is the university community's standard of honesty and is endorsed by all members of the University of Houston at Clear Lake academic community. It is an essential element of the University's academic credibility. It states
I will be honest in all my academic activities and will not tolerate dishonesty.
Caveat: In this class, any presentation material handed out or delivered orally that comes off the WEB or out of published reviews of assigned books without proper reference attribution will be considered a violation of the academic honesty policy. I want your work, not some reviewer with his or her own chip on his or her shoulder. I want to see detailed evidence of your personal and thorough familiarity with assigned reading for presentations
VI. Grade Distribution: All assignments will be graded as follows:
Numerical
Percent
Final Grade based on
Value
Grade
equivalent
numerical value average
(12)
A+
100
(11)
A
92 - 99
A
=
>9.7
(10)
A-
90 - 91
A-
=
9.5 - 9.69
(9)
B+
89
B+
=
9.31 - 9.49
(8)
B
82 - 88
B
=
6.7 - 9.30
(7)
B-
80 - 81
B-
=
6.5 - 6.69
(6)
C+
79
C+
=
6.31 - 6.49
(5)
C
72 – 78
C
=
3.7 - 6.3
(4)
C-
70 – 71
C-
=
3.5 - 3.69
(3)
D+
69
D+
=
3.31 - 3.49
(2)
D
62 – 68
D
=
.5 - 3.3
(1)
D-
60 – 61
D-
=
.3 - .49
(0)
F
¯
F
=
¯
VII. Week-to-Week Schedule
Week 1:
Concepts of Ethics in Educational Administration Read Chapter 1 in Strike, Haller and Soltis, The Ethics of School Administration Overview of the nature of professional responsibility. Be prepared to discuss first two case studies. Read Glossary and "Helpful Hints" in MSAP
Week 2:
The nature of moral theory: Trust and potential conflicts of duty Read Willower chapters 1-3 and prepare to discuss first four case studies at the end of the Book.
Week 3:
Development of character and moving beyond the merely subjective. Develop an initial schema for the notion of a professional. Turn in Goals for Moral Self-Assessment Protocol; Read Willower and review "Glossary" - Moral Self-Assessment Protocol
Week 4:
Moral relativity and cultural diversity. Read Strike chapter 2 and Prepare response to case study three and turn in objectives in Moral Self-Assessment Protocol.
Week 5:
Group 1 presents (30 minutes) Turn in first case study analysis
Week 6:
The obligation to Protect Intellectual Liberty Read Strike, Chapter 3 and prepare odd numbered chapter case studies, Read Chs. 1-4 in Wiloway
Week 7:
Group 2 presentation and the nature of codes of ethics purpose and meaning. Finish reading Willoway
Week 8:
The purpose of and constraints on educational evaluation. Read Strike, Chapter 4 And prepare even numbered case studies in chapter along with studies in Willower.
Week 9:
Leadership as moral architecture. The concept of continuous improvement. Midterm
Week 10:
Multiculturalism and Religion. Group 3. Read Strike Chapter 5; Prepare second case study and finish preparing response to all of Willoway case studies at end of book.
Week 11:
Protocols, planning, role-modeling and purpose. Group 4. Turn in sexual Harassment policy analysis
Week 12:
Practices of justice, fairness and policy. Group 4. Read Strike Chapter 6 Turn in Moral Self-Assessment Protocol.
Week 13:
Discipline, punishment and legitimating authority. Group 5. Read Strike Chapter 7
Week 14:
The law as a subset of morality. Turn in MSAP for final time.
Week 15:
From Lao Tzu and Aristotle to Thomas Sergiovanni, John Rawls and Other "merchants of truth". Prepare for final examination.
Finals Week
Final Examination
Holidays: Labor Day - September 4 Thanksgiving - November 23, 24
Dispositions
Each student in the School of Education is required to read and abide by the Statement on Professional Dispositions. You may read the statement by going to http://www.uhcl.edu/soe, clicking on the Site Map tab at the top of the page, scrolling down the list on the right to Policies and Procedures and then clicking on Statement on Professional Dispositions. As the statement indicates, "As an NCATE accredited institution, we will recommend for certification only those persons who have demonstrated the necessary strong, positive dispositions associated with the professional educator", so it is imperative that you abide by the dispositions described in the document.
At the end of the course and at other appropriate times, your instructor will assess your compliance with these standards. These assessments will be invaluable to you and the program faculty as you continue to develop professionally.
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If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Academic Advising at 281/283-3600 or email at Education@uhcl.edu
