The Influence of Trustees, School Boards, and the Ministry: “Tricky Politics?”

In this chapter, we consider the ethical leadership of the local governors of school systems and their ministries of education. We identify some of the influences of local and national politics on their particular leadership roles, as well as their potential impacts on the ethical leadership and workplace cultures in the school systems they oversee. At the end of each of the four country sections, there are reflective questions related to the role and impact of school boards and ministries. We also provide a vignette of an American school board member’s ethical dilemma and questions for reader reflection. We have attempted to layer the information on leaders and ethics in Canada, the United States, Germany, and Finland in such a way that Chap. 3 information on the role of school board members and their governance frameworks also provides an overview of the education system in their countries. (It would be helpful to read this chapter before reading Chap. 4 , which discusses district leaders in those countries, or Chap. 5 , which focuses on principals in the four countries.)