The purpose of this study was to explore how educational leaders incorporate the ethic of care into their practices. The theoretical perspective was authentic leadership. The research question was: How do authentic leaders working from an ethic of care maintain consistency between their espoused values of developing and maintaining relationships…

Recent studies of school gardens (Simon et al, 2015; Williams and Brown, 2012) and of the National School Lunch Program (Pringle, 2013; Levine, 2008; Ralston et al, 2008) have posed value questions for school leadership and policy, about production and distribution of school food. This review of the new educational studies scholarship on school…

The need for educational leaders to be conscious of the values influencing the morality of their decisions and for a way of guiding them as ethical educators emerged from the authors' research into leadership decisions involving the use of student achievement data. A conceptual framework is proposed as influenced by six interrelated…

Theory and research on values, ethics and moral decision making in educational leadership has called for ontological and epistemological changes in research and theory building that focus less on perspectives pertaining to logical positivism (naïve realism) and more toward paradigms that are naturalistic, post-positivistic, transactional and…

Catholic colleges and universities educate thousands of teachers and school administrators every year to be at the forefront of teaching and leading. The mission and vision of Catholic colleges and universities is unique in higher education while sending their graduates forth into every sector of the wider world. We explore the contribution of the…

This article explores the nature, strengths and limitations of Roman, Christian, Kantian and utilitarian ethics and their legacy in some modern theories of educative leadership that are educative in intent and outcome. It is shown that Roman, Christian, Kantian, and utilitarian ethics have profoundly shaped transformational, instructional,…

This article provides a critical review of school leaders' data-driven decision making (DDDM), drawing attention to the potential tension between DDDM and moral decision making. With mounting accountability in education, DDDM has been espoused as one of the core values in school leadership. Making a data-driven decision means that school leaders…

Moral formation is the core of all education, especially education for democratic citizenship. Moral formation requires, among other things, institutions with clear moral visions to which individuals can aspire. Moral clarity can be difficult in a society with broad diversity of moral commitments. In schools, the recognition of diversity has…

This study examined the personal guiding values which shaped the ethical framework of 20 educational leaders who pursued their doctoral degrees in educational leadership at a Rocky Mountain university over 10 years. Each student was asked to create and share a personal code of ethics that guides his/her behavior and to discuss the importance of…

Cultural proficiency is defined as the wherewithal to understand and possess the skills and behaviors to relate effectively with individuals from various cultures and backgrounds (Cross, Bazron, Dennis and Isaacs, 1989). A culturally proficient leader values difference and the growth that occurs from increased knowledge about those who are…

Despite the current focus on literacy in reading, mathematics, and science in public schools, throughout the history of education in the United States, educational purposes generally have included more than an emphasis of basic academic skills (Rothsetin, Wilder, & Jacobsen, 2007, p. 9). Existing accountability systems that hold educators…

In this article the author writes that identifying proper moral preferences should not be something that administrators have to deliberately think about before decision-making. Paul Wagner begins the discussion by saying that ideally, the identification of operative moral principles should persist throughout the decision-making process itself. To…

In this article, the author considers some issues in the educational research community that relate to ethical conduct. The author will not be concerned with surface issues in research ethics, however important, such as whether one has informed consent, but with deeper ways in which educational research can end up reinforcing unethical conduct.…

This article investigates the spiritual dimension within educational leadership practices. The authors argue that spirituality is a phenomenon which enables leaders to find deeper meaning in their work. They support the argument that spirituality is a significant dimension of human existence that is often silenced in the public school system and…

Schooling is always a moral practice. It takes place in specific contexts where social regulation is justified by reference to ethical codes and their specific values. Teachers' work is constituted by these values. Teachers act morally, steering practice in particular directions. The task is, however, never simple. In a context where the…