Ethical Analysis of Merit Pay in Education- Utilitarian Perspective
Utilitarianism involves the utility analysis and assessment of the consequences of actions (Ruggiero 151). Consequences can either be tangible or intangible. Tangible consequences are measured in terms of the common currency, while intangible currency is measured in terms of its ability to imply happiness. The English teacher did the right thing by passing his students. Hire our assignment writing services to save yourself tons of time and energy required for your assignment papers.
In the English teacher’s case, the utility is education. To assess the consequences of his actions, whereby the students were given Ds instead of Fs, we consider the consequences of yielding happiness and the consequences’ common currency. Subsequently, the assessment is based on the ability to imply happiness, which yields a good result. Also, as the students were given passing grades, they could graduate and join employment with those grades (Ruggiero).
The second assessment is in terms of the common currency. Accordingly, the question of “Which is better?” is raised. Would it be better to let the students graduate with fake results, or would it be better to fail them, prevent them from graduating and delay their enrollment into their jobs? Consequently, letting the students pass appears to be a better option as compared to the latter. The good consequences would be the students’ graduation, while the bad is the release of slightly underqualified graduates. The second assessment measure, therefore, falls into the principle of the double effect.
The English teacher would have to deal with the guilt of faking the grades but would be consoled because it was for the greater good. The students wouldn’t have performed better, and therefore, they gained from their teacher’s selflessness.
In conclusion, the consequences of the assessment of the English teacher’s actions were both positive. Therefore, it was the best possible action.
Work Cited
Ruggiero, Vincent Ryan. Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues. 9th ed., McGraw-Hill Education, 2020.
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Question
A school district uses a merit pay system; in other words, it awards salary increases based on the quality of teaching performance, as measured by student and administrative evaluation.
Identify the moral issue(s) and the parties involved and discuss the case with respect to the principle of utility, taking care to identify the benefits and burdens that pertain to the parties affected. Click here to see the grading rubric for this assignment.
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