Algunas obras y artistas del segundo encuentro Espacios Mestizos (2003).

psychological authority; and e) professional authority?

In varying situations, each of these principals functions within the different authorities. As it has already been discussed that these principal demonstrate moral leadership, it could appear that then would exclude the other authorities. In fact though, the principals demonstrate each of these authorities as a means to get to moral leadership.

Moral authority has been defined as the obligations and duties derived from widely shared values, ideas, and ideals (Sergiovanni, 1992, p. 31). Each of these principals has involved the larger school community in setting the direction for the

school. One example is the establishment of task forces for school improvement by Mr. Spain at Madrid Elementary School:

“We had three parts of our action plan and they were parent involvement, curriculum and bilingual education. So what I did was made a grid of those three columns and divided them up…and said, put your name on your grade level for which one of those task forces you would like to serve on. And we talked a little about what those task forces are going to mean. And then, everyone had to sign up for it and that immediately got every staff member involved in some way in the school improvement process. My school improvement team members lead the task force. Three of my members lead it up and make sure, you know, that everyone meets and that they’re talking productively when they are meeting. What they do is the first semester they work to make sure that that task force takes care of its portion of the school improvement plan so that we are really doing everything that we said we were going to do. Then the second semester, they work to kind of decide what we’re going to do the next year. Planning it. Adjusting it as necessary. That’s been powerful because people are really more comfortable now in talking about school

improvement and they understand why we’re doing what we’re doing.” Involving all members of the staff in the school improvement process provides

opportunities for the school community to take ownership of the process, and thus of the student achievement. This type of involvement is consistent with moral leadership.

Bureaucratic authority could be seen as the antithesis of moral leadership as it relies on a traditional managerial approach to leadership. As was previously defined, “Bureaucratic authority exists in the form of mandates, rules, regulations, job

descriptions, and expectations” (Sergiovanni, 1992, p. 30). In describing what a quality learning environment looks like, Mr. Chile at Santiago Elementary School expects to see student engagement in the teaching and learning process. “Sometimes people think they are engaging their kids when they’re not. And for them to see past it or through another lens and I say I’m concerned I’m seeing this. Some teachers who are not interested in the quality walk through, (do not) go into other rooms to see what other teachers are doing for just a 15 minute snapshot of learning. And you’re not opening up your room. What is the concern there? So, let’s look at that. What other ways can we teach differently?” On the surface, these statements are very bureaucratic. He wants to see a classroom look a certain way and he holds teachers to that those expectations. However, he wants that student engagement because it is best for the students and what the school community expects in the classroom. This bureaucratic action then supports the moral leadership by holding people accountable to the expectations, thus impacting student achievement.

“Technical-rational authority exists in the form of evidence derived from logic and scientific research” (Sergiovanni, 1992, p. 31). In this authority, the principal holds the knowledge and directs the teachers based on what the research says. What the teachers know to be true from their own practice is irrelevant in this authority. The technical-rational authority does appear in the leadership of these principals as well. The majority of the principals mentioned the implementation of various programs during their

interviews. This discussion can be seen through the lens of technical-rational authority. Often the districts provide training to the principals who in turn provide it to the teachers. Dr. Italy at Rome Elementary School described this as her district implements the

Understanding by Design (UbD) model in the schools. “I have a workshop next week I’m going to. We started looking at, and using, the Understanding by Design this year.” The professional development will then be provided to the teachers so that they can implement it in their curriculum design. Since UbD is research-based, there is no need to question its effectiveness.

Again, this may seem contrary to moral leadership. Using technical-rational authority though does open the school community to the available research and provides an opportunity for continued dialogue for what is best for their students. This then supports moral leadership as the school community explores new ways to meet students’ needs. Schools do not need to begin their research from the beginning. Technical- rational authority allows schools to use existing research. If schools only used their own research, change would be even slower in coming. Given the deadlines established as a part of NCLB, schools must move swiftly and deliberately in making changes to improve student achievement. Principals often use technical-rational authority as a means to introduce new programs to the school such as Response to Intervention or Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies.

“Psychological authority is expressed in the form of motivational technology and human relations skills” (Sergiovanni, 1992, p. 30). Under this authority, principals use interpersonal skills to develop positive relationships which create a positive working

environment and thus, teachers do what is asked and expected because of that positive climate. As one of the themes discussed in this chapter is relationships, the connection to psychological authority is clear. All of these principals place high importance on

developing relationships with staff, students, parents and fellow administrators. The majority of these principals mentioned creating some type of staff recognition system which allows them to develop a positive relationship with the staff and leads to a positive working environment. Dr. France at Paris Elementary School described his recognition system in this way. “We give teachers and we give staff these silly little plaques. They cost like $8. You know, it says educator of the month. You ought to see how they’ll do cartwheels just to get educator of the month. And I don’t want to you know, degrade them or but this is, seriously, this is like $8. It’s a little plaque. But you know what though? It makes them feel good. The Spotlight School. It makes them feel good. And that’s a good, good thing.” Each of these principals creates opportunities to get to know their school community, not just on a professional level but also on a personal level. These principals know about the challenges their staff members and students face at home. They know extended family members. In fact, this also translates into the theme of community and cultural awareness. They know their communities and by knowing and understanding their communities they are able to impact student achievement in a positive manner. This, then, is another means to moral leadership. The principals take the time to use their interpersonal skills and exercise psychological authority, but they do it so that they can bring the school closer to the achievement of their core beliefs and vision for the students.

“Professional authority is seen as the seasoned craft knowledge and personal expertise of each teacher” (Sergiovanni, 1992, p. 31). Professional authority takes technical-rational authority to the next level. While it does have its base in educational research, it does not stop there. Instead, it reflects on that research in practice and how that is adapted in the classroom to meet the needs of the students in a particular location. Members of the school community then, learn from one another and not just from the research. Mrs. Portugal at Lisbon Elementary School described how her teachers worked together. “I was at a meeting with 2nd and 3rd grade teachers and it’s a group that set this goal to work on vocabulary. And the person who is the leader of that group is really a good leader. So she had all of their activities that they were going to do. And they were kind of assessing themselves. Had they done all of those things.” Mrs. Portugal stepped out of the role of leader and allowed the teachers to lead themselves. This is an excellent example of how the expertise of the teachers is honored and respected and used to help improve student achievement. Each of these principals has implemented structures which provide opportunities for teachers to offer their own expertise to benefit the whole school community. Whether that is through a task force or a committee, these leaders respect how their teachers have developed in the profession. Using professional authority as a lens to lead is another means by which these principals are able to get to demonstrate moral leadership. By recognizing the seasoned craft knowledge these professionals have developed, the principals are able to achieve the fulfillment of the shared beliefs and core values.

2. Do principals have knowledge of moral leadership? If so what is their