Repositioning the Ethical Imperative

Abstract

This article explores the dimensions of an ethical framework for administrators based on the philosophical premises of critical theory. The goal of critical theory is to view the world dialectically and have a practical intent-to participate in revealing the socially constructed nature of the world, to help affirm that reified social constructs are not immutable, and then to work to transform society as the expression of an emancipatory vision. An important component of this view is the refusal to be bound by Recht, the system of law constructed by the status quo to serve dominant interests. The author examines the critical theories of Horkheimer, Habermas, Benhabib and the ethical theory of Margaret Urban Walker to begin construction of a critical-ethical guideline for administrators and introduces the idea of critical theory-based practitioners as "tempered radicals. "We are discussing no small matter, but how we ought to live. -SocratesLike much about the field of public administration, there is no universal agreement about what constitutes the proper ethic for the administrator. Trustee, delegate, interpreter, discretionist, administrative rationalist, or citizen-administrator are just some of the descriptions of the appropriate roles for administrators. Although these various conceptions are, at times, incompatible with one another, they are not necessarily incommensurable, as all offer alternatives that utilize a common currency-an acceptance of the legitimacy of some form of the liberal democratic state.But how do we discuss alternative conceptions of public administrative theory, particularly those that stress the more substantively egalitarian rather than liberal formulations? This article explores possibilities through the lens of critical theory, offering the beginnings of an ethic that connects public and private interests in a manner that is philosophically distinct from other ethical approaches used in the field to date.

Transforming AP programming: Stories in social justice leadership

“…Situational awareness "requires a recognition of the social and political issues that exist beyond the principal's locus of control but can still positively or negatively influence or effect social justice agendas within the school" (DeMatthews, 2018, p. 120). Existing research on a school leader's situational awareness has found that school leaders need to be savvy about understanding the many, often competing, issues of inequity and prioritizing their school's social justice agenda (Zanetti, 2004;Walker & Byas, 2003). DeMatthews' (2016) case study of the racial discipline gap highlighted the fact that social justice leadership requires an awareness, and recognition of, inequity.…”