This chapter explores various professions involved in the field of education along with their responsibilities. The professions that will be discussed involve school administration. The administration of a school includes the Board of Education, the Principal, and the teacher. Each of these professions has distinct responsibilities to the school district in which they are involved. Other areas to be discussed in this chapter that affect integrity in education are the roles and responsibilities of students and parents.
In addition to the information in this chapter it is important to note that I have written additional information related to integrity in education. I have written an article titled Integrity in Education and publication is expected to be late August or early September 2005 as part of the Education Division of ASQ (American Society for Quality). The article will be posted on my web site www.myqualitywriting.com and can be found on the free articles or published articles link.
The student plays an important role in the success of a school system and its projection of integrity as seen by the public. This statement is true in that those students who do not exhibit integrity by applying their learning capabilities affect the projection of a successful school system. While some students may not realize the impact to them or their community, it is important that we try to give examples where the impact can be shown. This can be accomplished through news articles and magazines. Another method is through the Internet. If students do not apply themselves with their best effort and capabilities, the performance statistics of the school are affected.
Schools are rated and compared to other schools in their local economy and in national trends and data. Students must have integrity in their efforts to learn the subjects being taught. A code of ethics for students will be discussed through examples later in this chapter.
Students have requirements for integrity and parents have a responsibility to know about their schools and their operations. The success and reputation of the school can also have an impact on local economies from business expansion to drawing interest for new companies and jobs. Companies in the past have looked at several aspects before deciding to locate in communities. Only one of these is the school system. Other areas involve such things as traffic control, shopping, business services and population in regards to employment resources that may be needed to satisfy their company needs now and in the future.
The existence of or nonexistence of integrity in the professions, students and parents shown above has a big impact to a school district or even a private school for its successful operation. If each of the groups identified above do not exhibit integrity in everything they do, the success of the school district or school not only can but will be affected. A school that does not portray quality and integrity in the management of the learning capabilities will not attract new business or new students. This is especially true in the area of private schools. Private schools are especially hard hit if they develop a reputation, for instance, that the teachers are not qualified to teach the subjects they are assigned or actions are not taken when there appears to be failure in specific classes.
It is therefore important for any school to exhibit integrity and to take actions needed to protect its public image. Part of the integrity of any school is the qualifications of the teachers they employ to teach the subjects within it. If there is a lack of knowledge by the teachers for teaching specific subjects, the success of the students to pass will be impacted. This will or may affect their success in the job market and acceptance in future schools. Companies look to grades in specific subjects for certain categories for the needs of their companies. You need good grades in specific subjects to be successful in certain industry fields. Some of these subjects are math, English, and science. An example would be if a job requires writing reports that are understood and clear, a good background in English would be helpful.
In public schools, the professions that are operating under an umbrella of integrity can be impacted as much as those, which are not. This is based on the process of communication. If proper communication exists and parents are involved with their school operations, they know if integrity exists and how well the teachers are teaching the subjects they are assigned. The perception of integrity can and does affect school funding when schools propose bond issues on the local ballot. Those schools that earn a reputation of not managing the money they receive with integrity will have a much harder time passing a bond issue than those that do project and communicate a sense of integrity.
The role of school administration has responsibilities along with the Board of Education. Administration of the school district plays an integral part in establishing a district with integrity. The publics perception of integrity within a school district depends upon the management in place and their method of operation. If schools do not operate their finances with integrity and watch how they spend the money they now receive, future-funding issues could or will be impacted. I have seen this in my local area through news reports on school operations giving a perception that makes it harder for schools to obtain increased funding. Once a reputation is earned by a school district that it is not managing its money wisely, bond issues are harder to get passed.
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