Full Description
The Ethical Educator: Pointers & Pitfalls for School Administrators is an accessible, nuts-and-bolts resource for education leaders at the school and district levels as they confront difficult ethical situations in their day-to-day work. The book features 100 real-life cases drawn from School Administrator magazine's Ethical Educator column over the past ten years.
The dilemmas encompass numerous aspects of administration, from First Amendment and religious liberty issues to personnel and board relations. Every case provides an opportunity for the reader to consider how they might handle a similar situation and to reflect on the perspectives of experienced administrators who explain how they would address the dilemma. Each chapter begins with a down-to-earth introduction by a nationally recognized school district attorney, who touches on relevant legal parameters and case law.
Making ethical decisions tests us as administrators, for those decisions set precedents that shape how others perceive our ethical judgment and, in turn, the ethical identity of the school or district. The Ethical Educator: Pointers & Pitfalls for School Administrators will help the reader become a more effective education administrator, a more courageous leader of a school organization, and simply a human being with a greater sense of ethical alignment and purpose.
Contents
Foreword
The Why and the How of Making Ethical Judgments
1 - Conflict of Interest
2 - First Amendment Rights
3 - Unequal Treatment
Part One: Discrimination
Part Two: Preferential Treatment
4 - Religious Liberty
5 - Duty to Report or Maintain Confidentiality
6 - Grading Practices
7 - Student Discipline
8 - Hiring, Resumes, & References
9 - Employee Discipline
Part One: Misappropriation of District Resources
Part Two: Danger to Self or Others
10 - Relationship Boundaries
11 - Funding
Part One: Obtaining Resources
Part Two: Appropriating Funds
12 - Taking a Stand on Community Issues
13 - Board Relations
Part One: Management of the District
Part Two: Interference with Personnel
Part Three: Errant Board Member
Part Four: Superintendent's Contract
Ethical Choices Are Not an Afterthought
Appendix A: Code of Ethics of AASA-The School Superintendents Association
About the Authors
About the Contributors
