ASSIGNMENT 1 –

Writing Assignment 

Educators are held to higher standards. The Code of Ethics of the Education profession provides standards by which the conduct of educators is judged.  Students will access the national Code of Ethics at 

http://www.nea.org/home/30442.htmLinks to an external site.
  and read the contents carefully. Students may download these materials as a resource when responding to the writing assignment, which will focus on the standards contained in Principle One of the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession.  Summarize the key points of the standards and indicate why you think each one is Important for classroom teachers. Also indicate any you feel may need to be changed or revised.

It is expected that the graduate student will demonstrate his or her ability to communicate effectively. Ideas must be effectively communicated and include attention to detail and correct application of the conventions of the English language. At least one citation must be used in the essay, and it must follow the format for citations included in the current APA manual.

Here is a checklist for you to use as you complete this assignment:

Assignment 1:  Code of Ethics and Case Studies for Educators

1. Introduction: Start out with few sentences introducing why it is essential for teachers to follow an exemplary code of ethics. Go to the following national website: 

https://www.nea.org/resource-library/code-ethics-educatorsLinks to an external site.
 and discuss the preamble.

2. Summarize Principle 1 from the above site.

3. Summarize Principle 2 from the above site.

4. Locate your state educational association and find their code of Ethics. How does it compare to the national Principles 1 and 2.

5. Conclude this section with a short paragraph summarizing your primary concern as an educator and how you can strive to achieve and sustain the highest degree of ethical conduct.

6. Read Case Study 1 below and discuss in 2 to 3 sentences using your district faculty policies and your state laws, your plan of action to address the case study scenario.

7. Read Case Study 2 below and discuss in 2 to 3 sentences using your district faculty policies and your state laws, your plan of action to address the case study scenario.

8. Read Case Study 3 below and discuss in 2 to 3 sentences using your district faculty policies and your state laws, your plan of action to address the case study scenario.

9. Pick one of the Case Study’s above and discuss the potential consequences of a teacher’s unethical practices.

10. Select one website that would be a good go-to site for you to check on your school/district/state policies and laws for educators and explain why this site would be appropriate for that purpose.

Case Studies:

Case Study 1:You area new fourth-grade teacher in an elementary school and notice that one of
your students consistently comes to school in the morning with dirty clothes, body odor, and
suspicious bruises on his arms. According to the ethics codes and district faculty policies, what
should be your plan of action for addressing this issue? 

Case Study 2:All teachers in your school have a laptop to use in their classrooms and for
instructional planning at home. When the computer was delivered, you briefly reviewed the district
policies during a departmental meeting; however, during the past six months, several teachers have
been questioned about their Internet and e-mail use with these laptops. You realize that you must
use school property appropriately. Based on the ethics codes and district faculty policies, what
should be your plan of action for using the laptop.

Case Study 3: As a new high school teacher, you are assigned to teach an intensive reading class
in which three students are consistently not showing progress. After reviewing the students’
records (academic achievement progress in other courses, attendance and disciplinary
records, intervention plans and other test scores, and state standardized test scores) you
develop highly effective instructional strategies for meeting these students’ learning needs. Since
your instructional approach has proven to be so successful, several teachers approached you with
sharing the students’ background information, as well as your instructional strategies. You are
concerned about infringing on the students ’privacy rights; consequently, you develop a plan of
action to address the teachers’ requests but also address student records concerns.