Razik and Swanson, Chapters -12

Summary

Chapter 11 focuses on district and school-based decision making, with special attention paid to strategic planning. First, the authors outline some of the decision-making models that may be used in the educational environment such as normative models, descriptive models, and economic models. Then, the authors outline some decision-making heuristics that can be used by education administrators. The authors conclude that educators can empower themselves to make the decisions that best reflect their schools values, missions, and goals.

In Chapter 12, the authors cover one of the most complex aspects of education administration and leadership, which is resource allocation. This chapter covers the ways economic decisions are made, including the use of econometrics and empirical methods to evaluate resource allocation effectiveness. Additionally, the authors address the more philosophical issues related to resource allocation such as equity. The authors conclude ultimately that decentralized systems tend to be more efficient than centralized ones.

Reflection

Razik and Swanson do a good job of showing how administrators can apply ethical principles to their strategic decisions. In Chapter 11, the...

The moral codes of collective decision making at...…worldview, finding opportunities for moral instruction not just in familiar areas like literature but also in pedagogical practices themselves. As an administrator, I can offer elective courses or extracurricular activities that substantiate faith. I can work with other Christian educators to collaborate on solutions to our most pressing problems, and I can show how Christian ethics and values can be located in every subject area without conflicting with the principles of tolerance and diversity. Ultimately, the role of teachers is not just to help students get good grades on tests but to cultivate a generation of ethical citizens who care about one another and who embody…