Ethical Leadership and Decision Making in Education

by Joan Poliner Shapiro, Jacqueline A. Stefkovich

The fifth edition of the best-selling text, Ethical Leadership and Decision Making in Education , continues to address the increasing interest in ethics and assists educational leaders with complex dilemmas in today’s challenging, divided, and diverse societies. Through discussion and analysis, Shapiro and Stefkovich demonstrate the application of four ethical paradigms – the ethics of justice, critique, care, and the profession. After illustrating how the Multiple Ethical Paradigms may be applied to authentic dilemmas, the authors present cases written by graduate students, practitioners, and academics representing dilemmas faced by educational leaders in urban, suburban, and rural public and private schools and universities, in the U.S. and abroad. Following each case are questions that call for thoughtful, complex thinking and help readers apply the Multiple Ethical Paradigms to practical situations. New in the Fifth Edition are more than ten new cases that cover issues of food insufficiency, the pandemic’s effects on diverse school populations, a student’s sexual orientation, transgender students in the university, lock-down drills for young children, refugees in a Swedish school, boundaries in high school sports, generational differences in an adult diploma school, acceptance of animals on campus, and hate speech in the academy. This edition also includes teaching notes for the instructor stressing the importance of self-reflection, use of new technologies, and global appeal of ethical paradigms and dilemmas. This book is a critical resource for aspiring and practicing administrators, teacher leaders, and educational policy makers.

Genres: Leadership, Education, Grad School, Nonfiction, School

290 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Tommy Kiedis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ethical Leadership and Decision Making in Education provides an overview of the ethics of justice, critique, and care. The authors argue for a fourth ethical paradigm, that of professional ethics. Shapiro and Stefkovich provide a framework to help educators develop that "professional ethic" paradigm through the use of a dynamic, multidimensional model.

The author's overview of the ethics of justice, critique, and care is clear, sufficient, and brief. Personally, I would like to see them treat that portion of their book with a little more depth. That said, their overview of the literature and documentation is stellar and their explanations cogent.

Shapiro and Stefkovich do a really outstanding job of highlighting the complexity, i.e. paradoxical nature of ethical decisions. Their case-study approach is helpful and made more so by the number and variety of cases they attach to each of the complex dilemmas an educational leader may face.

It is easy to see why this book is in its fourth edition. A very helpful resource and guide. I echo Martha McCarthy's words: "This book is a must-read for the educational leaders and those who prepare them for their ethically challenging roles."

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The scenarios in the book really make you think about what the right thing to do is. The authors provide a guide into ethical decision making and provide diverse problems to apply the skills. It was very interesting.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an engaging introduction to ethical educational leadership. Ethics have always fascinated me, and the lack of them has often frustrated me. The case studies in this were really helpful in illustrating the practical applications of ethical principles.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best ethics in education books I've read!

[Douglas W · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good: Great scenarios and subsequent questions. Well-explained and developed multi-paradigm ethical approach.

The Bad: As with most ethics books, this book does not have a standard from which to make some of its claims. It shares no epistemology with its reader. The authors simply state a way of ethical practice, but provide no foundation. As a Christian, this bothers me unendingly. If there is not a transcendent and omnipotent God who, in His aseity and sovereignty, is the Source of all truth and the Judge and Determiner of right and wrong, how can anyone make any ethical decisions?

[Mike Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time I've read this book. It changed the way I saw ethical dilemmas after the first time and this was a good refresher. The value in this book is that it shows how a situation can be viewed from many different perspectives. It helped me to understand which perspectives I was most comfortable with and which ones I needed to spend more time considering. The book is full of practical, believable case studies and invites the reader to ask excellent questions about each. I highly recommend that all school leaders read this book.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This text outlines the frameworks or lenses that educational leaders use to make decisions. Shapiro identifies the folloiwng ethical paradigms - ethic of care, ethic of critique, ethic of justice, and ethic of profession. The text offers case studies that promote exploration of the various ethics and how they apply to specific situations. This is clearly a text that emphasizes refection on practice.

[Ellon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was terrible. I had to buy it for my Public School Law class and stopped reading it after about 2 weeks into the class. The authors make the scenarios sound ridiculous with the way they are written. I couldn't get through the scenarios without laughing.

[Salihah Alsharari]

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[Heather Fidler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent textbook with practical, real-life scenarios.