This case study explores an ethical dilemma faced by a new junior high school principal. It is appropriate for use in all preparation course work, including the internship. Studies show that novice principal decision making differs from that of experienced principals in moral dilemmas, including following policy versus best interests of the student. Implications for training prospective principals include internal conflict resolution, rational decision-making theory, the role of intuition in decision making, and ethical behavior standards for school administrators.
BaronJ. B. (2000). Thinking and deciding (3rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
2.
BarrowR. (2006). Moral education’s modest agenda. Ethics and Education, 1, 3-13.
3.
BerthozA. (2006). Emotion and reason: The cognitive science of decision making (WeissG., Trans.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
4.
BrodieR. (1996). Viruses of the mind: The new science of the mind. Seattle, WA: Integral Press.
5.
BullB. L.McCarthyM. M. (1995). Reflections on the knowledge base in law and ethics for educational leaders. Educational Administration Quarterly, 31, 613-631.
6.
ChalmersN.ScottW.GoughS. (2003). Sustainable development and learning: Framing the issues. New York, NY: RoutledgeFalmer.
7.
CostaR. D. (2010). The watchman’s rattle: Thinking our way out of extinction. Philadelphia, PA: Vanguard.
8.
DamasioA. R. (1996). Descartes’ error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain. New York, NY: Putnam and Sons.
9.
DantleyM. E.TillmanL. C. (2006). Social justice and moral transformative leadership. In MarshallC.OlivaM. (Eds.), Leadership for social justice: Making revolutions in education. pp. 16-20. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
10.
FosterW. (1989). The administrator as a transformative intellectual. Peabody Journal of Education, 66(3), 5-18.
11.
GilliganC. (1982). In a different voice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
12.
GolemanD. (2006). Social intelligence: The new science of human relationships. New York, NY: Random House.
13.
IngersollR. M. (2008). A researcher encounters the policy realm: A personal tale. Phi Delta Kappan, 89, 369-371.
14.
MoninB.PizarroD. A.BeerJ. S. (2007). Deciding versus reacting: Conceptions of moral judgment and the reason-affect debate. Review of General Psychology, 11, 99-111.
15.
NoddingsN. (2005). The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
16.
RaynorA. (2004). Individual schools, unique solutions: Tailoring management techniques for school leadership. New York, NY: RoutledgeFalmer.
17.
SergiovanniT. J. (2001). Leadership: What’s in it for schools?London, England: RoutledgeFalmer.
18.
ShapiroJ. P.StefkovichJ. A. (2005). Ethical leadership and decision making in education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
19.
ShapiroJ. P.StefkovichJ. A. (2011). Ethical leadership and decision making in education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
