SEHS Professional Ethics in Education 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher discovers that a colleague is falsifying student attendance records to meet school performance targets. What is the most ethical course of action?
- Ignore it to avoid conflict with a coworker
- Report the falsification to school administration (Correct answer)
- Help the colleague by suggesting better falsification methods
- Confront the colleague publicly in the staff room
Correct answer: Report the falsification to school administration
Falsifying records is academic fraud; reporting to administration upholds professional integrity and protects students.
Question 2: Which principle best describes a teacher's duty to treat all students fairly regardless of personal feelings toward them?
- Autonomy
- Impartiality (Correct answer)
- Beneficence
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Impartiality
Impartiality requires educators to apply consistent standards and treatment to all students without bias.
Question 3: A student shares a personal hardship with a teacher and asks that it remain private. The teacher should:
- Share it with all staff so they can support the student
- Keep it confidential unless safety is at risk (Correct answer)
- Post an anonymous version on the school's social media for awareness
- Inform the student's entire peer group
Correct answer: Keep it confidential unless safety is at risk
Educators must respect student confidentiality except when disclosure is necessary to prevent harm.
Question 4: An educator who deliberately lowers a student's grade because of a personal dispute with the student's parent is violating which ethical principle?
- Justice (Correct answer)
- Veracity
- Nonmaleficence
- Professional competence
Correct answer: Justice
Justice requires fair and unbiased treatment; penalizing a student for a parent's actions is unjust.
Question 5: A teacher realizes mid-year that their instructional methods are not meeting the diverse learning needs of students. The ethical response is to:
- Continue the same methods to remain consistent
- Seek professional development and adapt strategies (Correct answer)
- Blame the curriculum and take no action
- Request only students who fit the current method
Correct answer: Seek professional development and adapt strategies
Professional ethics require ongoing self-improvement to serve all learners effectively.
Question 6: Which scenario best illustrates a conflict of interest for an educator?
- Grading exams from students in another class
- Tutoring your own student for pay without disclosure (Correct answer)
- Attending a professional development seminar voluntarily
- Using school-approved textbooks for instruction
Correct answer: Tutoring your own student for pay without disclosure
Paid tutoring of one's own students creates a financial conflict of interest that should be disclosed or avoided.
Question 7: When a student with a disability requires accommodations, an educator who refuses to implement them is violating which ethical and legal obligation?
- Voluntary beneficence
- Mandatory equity and inclusion (Correct answer)
- Academic freedom
- Peer collaboration norms
Correct answer: Mandatory equity and inclusion
Educators are legally and ethically required to provide mandated accommodations to students with disabilities under laws like IDEA and Section 504.
SEHS Professional Ethics in Education 2
A teacher discovers that a colleague is falsifying student attendance records to meet school performance targets.
What is the most ethical course of action?