Ethical Leadership Flashcards
12.) A state department of education downgrades a high school’s rating from satisfactory to unsatisfactory. Which of the following strategies by the school leader will best maintain staff and stakeholder morale after the downgrade?
A.Dismissing state rating systems as arbitrary and politically driven
B.Publicizing student honor rolls and graduation rates in the local media
C.Accentuating areas where the school succeeds
D.Accepting personal responsibility for the downgrade
C.Accentuating areas where the school succeeds
The school leader can maintain staff and stakeholder morale by reminding them of the positive aspects of the school, placing the negative rating in perspective.
15.) A school leader of an urban school strives to hire faculty and staff who will have a positive influence on the social, emotional, and academic achievements of students of all backgrounds. Which of the following approaches best supports the leader’s goal?
A.Collaborating with local universities to request their teacher recommendations
B.Focusing on hiring faculty who have accrued years of teaching experience
C.Giving preference to candidates with education degrees over alternative certification
D.Seeking and embracing diversification in the recruitment pool
D.Seeking and embracing diversification in the recruitment pool
Diversification in school leadership improves the quality of education and provides positive role models for the students.
18.) Ms.Miss Gomez is the new school leader in a K–5 elementary school in a large urban district. She is concerned about the high percentage of students in her school who receive special education services. She identifies two initial steps for investigating her concern.
- ) Review the placements of all students in special education
- ) Evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s RTI process
Which of the following is Ms.Miss Gomez’ most important consideration in investigating step I ?
A.Completing the reviews within the first months of school to avoid disrupting students’ placements
B.Protecting the rights afforded to students and parents by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
C.Involving internal and external stakeholders in the review process to ensure transparency
D.Preserving the perception of parents and the community that the school is making sound educational decisions
B.Protecting the rights afforded to students and parents by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
First and foremost, the school must conform with IDEA regulations, restrictions, and protections when reevaluating students. IDEA sets forth regulations with respect to students’ and parents’ rights during the reevalution process, which are similar in many ways to the regulations, restrictions, and protections for initial placement.
22.) A new high school leader plans to use a photo-sharing application to promote school activities and acknowledge student achievements. The most important step the school leader should take before posting photos is to
A.ensure that the office has obtained media release forms signed by the parents of all students
B.designate separate accounts for photos of students and photos of staff members
C.review different applications to select the most suitable application for the purpose
D.anticipate responses to students who post inappropriate comments
A.ensure that the office has obtained media release forms signed by the parents of all students
Ensuring parents or guardians have completed media release forms gives the school leader the necessary parental consent to take and post pictures of students.
26.) Security-camera footage informs a school leader that the industrial arts teacher, Mr. Grayson, has been taking home power tools at the end of each week and bringing them back a few days later. When the leader questions Mr. Grayson, he explains that he is borrowing the tools for a home improvement project. Which of the following is the leader’s most appropriate response to Mr. Grayson?
A.Pointing out the difference between occasionally borrowing a hammer and taking home power tools
B.Allowing him to bring his project to the school’s wood shop to complete
C.Reminding him to ask permission before he borrows any more equipment
D.Explaining that borrowing school equipment for personal projects violates district policy
D.Explaining that borrowing school equipment for personal projects violates district policy
Policies are intended to provide guidelines that explain, direct, or limit the actions of an organization and its members; therefore, the school leader’s most appropriate response to the teacher is to explain that district policy expressly prohibits borrowing any equipment for personal use.
41.) The computer technician in a high school informs the school leader that a teacher has been using a district computer for personal purposes during the instructional day. Which of the following is the school leader’s most appropriate initial response to the information?
A.Prohibiting the teacher from accessing district computers
B.Asking the technician to reformat the hard drive to remove the teacher’s activity
C.Reminding the teacher that district computers are for school-related use only
D.Telling the teacher to wait until after school for personal activity on school computers
C.Reminding the teacher that district computers are for school-related use only
The teacher has disregarded the school’s ethics training by using the computer for personal purposes.
51.) Which of the following scenarios best describes a school leader’s reinforcing transparent decision-making practices?
A.The school leader of a high school revises the schedule to allow time for teachers to engage in meaningful collaboration in support of students’ learning. As a follow-up, the school leader sends a letter to parents identifying the rationale for the change and the research supporting professional learning communities.
B.An elementary school leader decides to replace outdated playground equipment and asks a committee of parents and teachers to decide which equipment is outdated. The school leader then selects new equipment to replace three of the five outdated pieces.
C.The school leader of a middle school holds open forums to meet with teachers and parents to discuss the possibility of using block scheduling and the impact on student achievement. After receiving mainly positive feedback, the school leader decides to form a committee of stakeholders to design the implementation plan.
D.A school district is considering combining two smaller elementary schools, after the retirement of one of the school leaders, to save money by eliminating maintenance on one of the buildings. The remaining school leader recommends keeping both schools open and splitting administrative time between them.
C.The school leader of a middle school holds open forums to meet with teachers and parents to discuss the possibility of using block scheduling and the impact on student achievement. After receiving mainly positive feedback, the school leader decides to form a committee of stakeholders to design the implementation plan.
The school leader exhibits transparent decision-making practices by engaging stakeholders in open forums and including them in designing the implementation plan for block scheduling.
55.) Mr. Dinh, an elementary school leader, keeps a journal to reflect on his daily interactions with members of the school community. His most recent entry asks, “What could I have done to improve the outcomes of today’s interactions?” The primary purpose of the question is to
A.build empathy
B.diagnose the school culture
C.gain insight into how to develop relationships
D.increase understanding of the personalities of those around him
C.gain insight into how to develop relationships
The purpose of reflection is to look back on, critically examine, and learn from one’s experiences. By reflecting on his daily interactions with others, the school leader acknowledges the effect of his behavior on relationships and can take action to make improvements and develop desirable outcomes.
66.) Which of the following practices by a school leader best reinforces professional behavior and communication between the teachers and the students and parents?
A.Using real-world situations to promote regular discussions about ethical behavior
B.Reviewing a portion of the Code of Ethics for Educators at each faculty meeting
C.Asking school counselors to attend student and parent conferences whenever they can
D.Surveying students and parents annually about their levels of satisfaction with teacher interactions
A.Using real-world situations to promote regular discussions about ethical behavior
School leaders can help faculty develop an awareness of the impact of their decisions on students and parents through ongoing ethics discussions and by guiding them through ethical inquiry that they can consider when handling issues that raise ethical questions.
67.) Which of the following strategies by a school leader best supports the goal of establishing and maintaining a drug-free school?
A.Developing a schedule for frequent, random checks of lockers, backpacks, and students for drugs
B.Encouraging students to participate in antidrug leadership clubs sponsored by national organizations
C.Including drug awareness in the school’s comprehensive school-based risk and hazard assessment
D.Facilitating parent involvement in peer and community groups that provide support and factual information about drug use
D.Facilitating parent involvement in peer and community groups that provide support and factual information about drug use
The involvement of parents in providing relevant and factual information to their children about drugs is vital to the success of the school leader’s goal of a drug-free school. This can promote antidrug norms and help parents raise drug-free children.
70.) Mr. Jackson is the school leader of Barnes Elementary School. On returning from a meeting in the district superintendent’s office, he is informed by Ms.Miss Alonzo, the assistant principal, that a strong thunderstorm had passed through the area at midday, resulting indirectly in a serious student injury. She recounts that she announced on the PAP A system that all teachers were to keep students indoors until notified that it was safe to resume outdoor activities, but Ms.Miss Aames, a third-grade teacher, took her students out for recess before the all-clear announcement was made. Ms.Miss Alonzo further explains that the custodial staff did not clean up the walkways and outside areas after the storm because they were setting up chairs for an evening music concert.
Mr. Jackson reviews the student injury report completed by Ms.Miss Alonzo.
INJURY REPORT
Name of Student: Clarence B.
Age: 8
Sex: M
Grade: 3
Teacher: Aames
School: Barnes
Date of Injury: 5/1
Time: 1:15
First Responder: Ms. Alonzo, Assistant Principal
Place of Injury: Playground
Nature of Injury: Fracture
Body Part Injured: Leg
Describe what happened: The teacher took the students to the playground for recess. The playground was littered with branches from the recent storm. The student jumped on a large branch, lost his balance, fell, and fractured his leg.
Parents notified: Yes X No ___blank
The student’s parents were notified by phone. His mother arrived on the scene at the same time as the ambulance.
Describe treatment and disposition:
The student was examined by EMT’s and transported by ambulance to the ER at Mountain Medical Center. The child was accompanied by his mother.
Ms.Miss Alonzo
Signature of School Leader
Which of the following should be Mr.Mister Jackson’s first action upon hearing about the incident from Ms. Alonzo?
A.Suspending the teacher for a negligent action that resulted in a serious injury
B.Alerting the superintendent that an incident occurred that may put the district at risk for litigation
C.Checking on the condition of the student and assuring the parents that a full accident investigation will be conducted
D.Consulting with the campus counselor to see if counseling services are required for the student’s classmates
C.Checking on the condition of the student and assuring the parents that a full accident investigation will be conducted
The school leader’s first action should be to check on the student and inform the parents that the incident is being investigated and any questions they have will be answered.
72.) Ms.Miss Thompson is a new seventh-grade teacher. Pressed for time, she administers a test she finds in the files left by her predecessor. When students uniformly perform poorly, she realizes that the test assesses content she did not teach. She decides against administering another test and records the students’ grades in her grade book. Her testing error comes to light when the parents of several students complain to the school leader about their children’s grades. Which of the following is the school leader’s most appropriate action for improving Ms.Miss Thompson’s practice?
A.Instructing the teacher to avoid using any materials left by her predecessor
B.Reviewing the teacher’s assessments to ensure that they align with the taught content
C.Providing the teacher with immediate targeted training on professional ethics
D.Encouraging the teacher to use performance-based rather than selected-response assessments
C.Providing the teacher with immediate targeted training on professional ethics
Ethics training directs the teacher back to how teachers are to apply ethics to their instruction and assessment.
92.) To best establish an ethical school culture, a school leader should apply a leadership style that focuses on
A.stewardship and humility
B.command and control
C.reflection and understanding
D.sovereignty and direction
C.reflection and understanding
According to research, practicing self-reflective ethics engagement is the best way for a school leader to achieve ethics-based school goals.
94.) A school leader observes an increase in the number of students that teachers refer for evaluation for special education services. The referrals state that the students are functioning too far below grade level to keep up in general education classes. Which of the following is the leader’s best response to the increase in student referrals?
A.Speaking with special education teachers to discuss curriculum adaptations that are effective for students with learning disabilities
B.Hiring paraprofessionals to plan and implement research-based intervention strategies within these students’ classes
C.Collaborating with parents to establish a plan in which students who are significantly behind receive remedial course material that is taught at home
D.Meeting with teachers to determine whether they are implementing the steps of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process with fidelity
D.Meeting with teachers to determine whether they are implementing the steps of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process with fidelity
It is critical that the teachers are implementing the components of the RTI process exactly. This process provides students with interventions at increased levels of intensity to accelerate their rate of learning and to closely monitor their progress. The RTI process ensures that special education referrals are supported by data from research-based interventions.
96.) A school leader is responsible for assembling a search committee to fill an open position for an assistant principal. Which THREE of the following practices will best ensure that the recruitment and selection processes used by the committee are ethical and equitable?
A.Basing hiring decisions on the employee’s qualities rather than on résumés and other traditional hiring tools
B.Inviting all school personnel to interview for the position, regardless of work history and experience
C.Providing a detailed description of the qualifications and responsibilities related to the position in the job posting
D.Making public the questions asked during interviews and the rubric for evaluating candidates
E.Using screening and assessment tools that demonstrate substantial job-related fidelity
A.Basing hiring decisions on the employee’s qualities rather than on résumés and other traditional hiring tools
C.Providing a detailed description of the qualifications and responsibilities related to the position in the job posting
E.Using screening and assessment tools that demonstrate substantial job-related fidelity
Personal attributes give a more holistic understanding of the candidate. Accurately announcing and advertising a job ensures equitable access and a detailed understanding of all job responsibilities for all who apply for the position. Equitable hiring practices prioritize criteria that directly relate the candidate’s suitability for the responsibilities of the job.
