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Moral Leadership in an Age of School Accountability
Author(s) -
Belcher Daniel
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of leadership studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.219
H-Index - 14
eISSN - 1935-262X
pISSN - 1935-2611
DOI - 10.1002/jls.21528
Subject(s) - accountability , foundation (evidence) , odds , politics , performativity , face (sociological concept) , action (physics) , political science , sociology , public relations , law , social science , medicine , gender studies , logistic regression , physics , quantum mechanics
Although a sense of moral purpose is a strong motivational force for school leaders, it can be at odds with the prevailing political agenda of performativity and accountability. The current paper seeks to reassert moral leadership as a foundation stone for school leaders and policy makers. Through consistent ethical action the moral leader must do what is right as well as what is effective . There is robust empirical evidence that strong values are a key characteristic of outstanding leaders, contributing to improved student outcomes. In the face of transient accountability measures, enacting a moral leadership approach may prove not only the right thing to do, but it may also lead to the outcomes sought by politicians.