¶ … Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility for School Administrators empowers students, staff, family, and community by making an ethical education everyone's responsibility. Education is not solely about facts and figures, rote memorization and passing tests. In fact, the goals of education are related to cultivating character and ethical judgment, so that students can "formulate positive goals" and pursue "truth, knowledge and wisdom," (Connecticut State Department of Education, 2003). The most important elements of the Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility for School Administrators include the emphasis on ethics, wisdom, respect, and higher aspects of learning such as personal development and personal integrity.
Integrity is a hallmark of professionalism in any field, and in particular fields like education, in which the teacher serves as a role model to student and community. Principles of integrity require that educators remain vigilant in their personal and professional lives, and do not engage in impropriety even when not at school. As Blackaby & Blackaby (2011) point out, "integrity demands consistency under every circumstance, including unguarded moments." For an educator to succeed at modeling student behavior and inculcating core values, absolute personal integrity is necessary. The only issue that is not included in the Connecticut code may be related to the issue of personal integrity outside of the confines of the educational system. Education is,...
It does not begin in the
classroom and nor does it end there.
The
bible provides a roadmap to
effective leadership in education. In the book of
Proverbs, we learn that education is the essence of life. "Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life," (Proverbs 4:13). Educators are entrusted with a tremendous amount of responsibility because their work in the classroom has a strong bearing on the child's overall social, cognitive, and
psychological development as well as the child's
academic performance.
In general, the Connecticut code rests on firm foundations of professional integrity and
personal responsibility. Educators need to guard against problems related to pride, related to their being in a
position of power. By maintaining the status of professional conduct as dictated in the
ethical code, educators can avoid falling pray to temptation related to
abuse of
power in any situation, whether that be power grabs in educational leadership, power over coworkers instead of collaboration, or power over parents related to decisions regarding their
children. As Rebore (2014)…
