Leadership and moral literacy in intercultural schools
| Date | 10 July 2007 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230710762418 |
| Published date | 10 July 2007 |
| Pages | 379-397 |
| Author | Allan Walker,Qian Haiyan,Chen Shuangye |
| Subject Matter | Education |
Leadership and moral literacy in
intercultural schools
Allan Walker, Qian Haiyan and Chen Shuangye
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore what developing moral literacy for leaders in
intercultural schools will mean.
Design/methodology/approach – Relevant literature on moral literacy, leadership, intercultural
schools and social learning is brought together and integrated to develop an understanding of the
intricacies of leading for moral literacy.
Findings – The foundation for developing moral literacy in intercultural schools requires leaders
to become knowledgeable, cultivate moral virtues and develop moral imaginations as well as to
possess moral reasoning skills. In intercultural settings these components focus on openly
addressing, and indeed exposing, issues of class, culture and equity. The elements which form the
basis for improved moral literacy are intimately connected with school life and community through
learning. Leaders must simultaneously develop their own and their communities’ moral literacy
through promoting and structuring community-wide learning through participatory moral
dialogue. This may involve sharing purpose, asking hard questions and exposing and
acknowledging identities.
Originality/value – This article attempts to apply moral literacy to leading in intercultural schools
and suggests that learning holds the key to moral development.
Keywords Schools, Leadership,Learning
Paper type Conceptual paper
Our purpose in this article is to explore what developing moral literacy means in
intercultural school contexts. To do this we will first outline our understanding of
moral literacy and intercultural schools. Moral literacy involves leaders in learning, in
context, a complex set of skills, abilities and habits that can be cultivated and enriched
in schools in line with the needs, desires and aspirations of their communities (Tuana,
2003). Our discussion of intercultural schools will focus on those comprising of
different, usually minority (in terms of the broader population), ethnic groups. We will
then attempt to bring together some of the intricacies of moral literacy in intercultural
schools using Tuana’s components of moral literacy – becoming knowledge able,
cultivating moral virtues, developing moral reasoning skills, and nurturing moral
imagination. Each component is defined and illustrated to explain what it might mean
in intercultural schools.
We then argue that developing moral literacy requires an articulated dedication to
open and ongoing learning throughout the school community. Communal learning
may be best pursued through participatory moral dialogue. To promote this dialogue
leaders act to stimulate and facilitate learning, and design strategies and actions which
aim to make a difference in their school. Stimulating learning may involve multiple
leadership actions, one of which is sharing moral purpose. Taking action that is based
on learning may involve experimenting with culturally-responsible teaching methods.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
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Leadership and
moral literacy
379
Journal of Educational
Administration
Vol. 45 No. 4, 2007
pp. 379-397
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0957-8234
DOI 10.1108/09578230710762418
Moral literacy
Leadership must be ethical. It carries a responsibility not just to be personally moral, but to be
a cause of “civic moral education” which leads to both self-knowledge and community
awareness (Foster, 1989, p. 284).
Current literature is replete with calls to recognise the place of ethics in schools and for
leaders to align school improvement agendas within a values-based moral purpose
(Begley, 2004, 2006; Greenfield, 2004; Fullan, 2003; Sergiovanni, 1992). The basic
argument views schools as powerful agents of enculturation that are unav oidably and
continuously engaged with moral and ethical issues (Begley, 1999; Hodgkinson, 1978,
1983; Leonard, 1999). Fullan (2003) emphasises moral purpose as a key ingredie nt in
building and leading learning communities. He links moral purpose as both the ends
and the means of sustained school performance:
... effective [school] cultures establish more and more progressive interactions in which
demanding processes produce both good ideas and social cohesion. A sense of moral purpose
is fuelled by a focus on value-added high expectations for all, raising capability, pulling
together, and an ongoing hunger for improvement (Fullan, 2005, p. 59).
Having a defined moral purpose, whether it is enacted through a shared vision or in
more concrete forms, is about exercising moral leadership. As Bogotch (2000, p. 2)
states, educational leadership is a “deliberate intervention that requires the moral use
of power”. Arguments for the place of moral leadership are widely justified by the
increased complexity of the environment within which leaders lead and must make
decisions; where strong systemic pressures may at times drag them toward
standardisation and uniformity. This argument locates leaders within working lives
that are fast moving, where insecurity is rampant and trusted community relationships
appear to be in decline. Within such environments, school leaders encounter multiple
ethical situations and values conflicts that make their work more and more complex
and uncertain (Begley and Johansson, 2003).
Moral leadership, then, can be seen as leading a school in an unsteady environment
towards improvements on multiple fronts, from academic outcomes to equity for all,
while maximising the chances that related decisions are morally sound and defensible.
The formation and exercise of moral leadership is not as simple as doing things a
leader considers “right”, but involves the development of knowledge, empathies,
virtues and skills, or what is labelled moral literacy.
Recent leadership and leadership development literature converges on the need for
leaders to develop higher levels of moral literacy (Begley and Johansson, 2003).
Although more comprehensive definitions are available, in simple terms, moral literacy
relates to the conceptual and practical capacity of school leaders to make and
encourage morally grounded decisions within an increasingly complex and confusing
environment (Begley and Johansson, 2003). Such an environment is typified by
contradictory values, uncertain and unpredictable decision situations, and problems
bereft of simple logical solutions; or even any definitive solutions at all. In short, moral
literacy is important, but making moral decisions is difficult because leadership does
not operate in a vacuum. Leadership decisions are unavoidably complex as they are
connected to and interconnected with different contexts simultaneously, and these
contexts themselves are often shifting. Making decisions becomes even more difficult
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