William C. Frick

Responding to the Collective and Individual ‘Best Interests of Students’: Revisiting the Tension between Administrative Practice and Ethical Imperatives in Special Education Leadership

Purpose: Given the increasing role of the principal in the administrative and supervision of special education programs and services, this research examines how elementary principals interpret their experience of leadership decision making as a moral activity in relation to the Ethic of the Profession and Model for Students’ Best Interests. Method: A phenomenological-like research method was used to capture administrators’ perspectives involving moral practice and ethical decision making as it relates to students with disabilities. The primary data collection strategy was participant interviews by means of purposeful sampling. Findings: Findings challenge the Ethic of the Profession’s injunction, “the best interests of the student,” as a central guiding moral principle in decision making. Evidence exists that the expression does hold some insight as a maxim to guide behavior, especially when principals decide for one student against all or most students within special education contexts. Theoretical Implications: Participants indicated a distinction and clear difference between the best interests of one student and the best interests of students as a group. Participants viewed the work of deciding and acting in the best interests of the student body as being qualitatively different than working and acting in the best interests of individual students. Practical Value: Dynamic ethical thinking expressed by most school leaders in this study involved a thick and rich combination of rule referencing; maximizing benefit and promoting nonmoral good; assessing one’s character, motivation, and disposition and responding with empathy and personal investment; being reflective; and maintaining an open posture. Classification: This is a work of empirical research.

Brain Drain in the Rust Belt Can Educational Reform Help to Build Civic Capacity in Struggling Communities

City leaders increasingly have hoped that school reform can spark a renaissance in struggling communities. Using the lens of building civic capacity, this article examines efforts to revitalize “Milltown”—a small urban community that has been devastated by the loss of manufacturing jobs. Analysis of interview and written documents identifies several paradoxes that highlight the ways in which the conceptions of individuals and the nature of this former manufacturing community contrasted dramatically with the realities of the emerging global economy. Findings detail these paradoxes and describe the role of the towns school district in driving the reform efforts intended to address these dilemmas.

An ethic of connectedness: enacting moral school leadership through people and programs

As educators, we grapple with a myriad of dilemmas and often have difficulty resolving issues that relate to curriculum and instruction, funding, facilities and supervision, to name a few. Depending on the leader(s), a variety of ethics come in to play when making decisions. The ethic of connectedness refers to community building and welfare as central to moral thought and practice (Bradley, 2007). Responsibility to community building and welfare begins in the schools and must be an acculturated practice within the schools so future generations possess the knowledge, skills and dispositions that ensure a connectedness to their society (Marzano et al., 2005; Barth 2006; Collinson et al., 2006). This article will explore the importance of an ethic of connectedness to effective school leadership and the experience of a Pennsylvania school district in nurturing and building a connectedness within the school community.

Civic Capacity in Educational Reform Efforts: Emerging and Established Regimes in Rust Belt Cities

Using urban regime theory, the article examines two Rust Belt cities that tried to break the cycle of social reproduction in their communities by reforming their schools. The article contributes to the development of urban regime theory by comparing an emerging regime to an established regime. The comparison highlights the interdependent nature of regimes’ engagement, purpose, and civic capacity.

Testing a Framework of Math Progress Indicators for ESSA: How Opportunity to Learn and Instructional Leadership Matter:

Purpose: To advance a framework of indicators that promotes implementation of math standards under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), we tested a conceptual model of the resources and processes within schools that influence the opportunity to learn mathematics (OTL) in the classroom using a recent administration of the 2011 Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS 2011). There is potential benefit to state departments and system-level practitioners from more information about how schools might influence student access to college and career-ready curriculum. Such information has the potential to shape the kinds of indicators stakeholders put in place to target problems and formulate solutions for math learning. Research Design: To test the fit of our hypothesized model of math content and instruction OTL, we applied structural equation modeling techniques to school and classroom data from 425 fourth-grade U.S. math teachers in TIMSS 2011. Findings: We found a direct influence of instructional leadership on OTL math instruction in the classroom and teacher participation in math professional development. Content-specific resources indirectly influenced both OTL math instruction and content through teacher preparedness. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate a potential framework through which school leaders can support the preparedness of teachers in providing students with equitable access to coherent, focused, and rigorous math content.

Formation of Teachers as Leaders Response to the Articles in This Special Issue

This article contains a response to three manuscripts that are part of the JRLE special issue entitled Developing and Empowering Teacher Leaders for Collective Leadership. Discussion of the articles, lessons learned, and implications for teacher leadership development are discussed.