Virtue Ethics and School Funding

Virtue Ethics and School Funding

School funding in the US is based on a school’s performance assessed by standards set by the state. The schools that perform well on these assessments are rewarded with more funding. The set standards are uniform across the state. It is in this uniformity that the unfairness manifests itself. Schools within a state face unique challenges, and thus, subjecting them to uniform test disadvantages those schools which experience more difficulties. Mike LaBossiere writes that because of racism, schools that are predominantly populated with students of minority races are disadvantaged and hence cannot compete on an even scale with schools where students are mostly white.

Virtue ethics is a school of philosophical thought that emphasizes the role of virtues and character in making moral decisions. Virtue ethics suggests that people should seek to develop their character. The theory suggests that people should seek to emulate the paragon of virtue, such as Jesus and Gandhi and try to emulate their actions. Virtue ethics mainly deals with the moral values and character traits, and how this character can be developed by repeatedly performing good deeds.

On the issue of school funding, virtue ethics would emphasize the importance of moral virtues such as honesty, generosity and fairness. The state has already shown that it is fair because it applies the same standards to every school in the state. The state would then apply its fairness to recognize that schools face unique challenges, and therefore subjecting them to a similar test is inherently unfair. The state would then find a way to ensure that when considering school funding, they consider the implications of race and how it disadvantages schools. Thus, the system would be fair, and the state will have developed its moral virtues.