SLLA Ethical Leadership and Integrity 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A principal discovers that a veteran teacher is padding attendance records to inflate enrollment numbers. The principal's FIRST action should be to:
- Confront the teacher privately and document the conversation (Correct answer)
- Report immediately to the superintendent without speaking to the teacher
- Ignore it since enrollment numbers benefit the school's budget
- Transfer the teacher to another school to avoid conflict
Correct answer: Confront the teacher privately and document the conversation
Ethical leadership requires addressing misconduct directly and documentably before escalating to protect due process and gather facts.
Question 2: Which ethical framework emphasizes that leaders should make decisions based on duties and universal moral rules, regardless of outcomes?
- Utilitarianism
- Virtue ethics
- Deontological ethics (Correct answer)
- Situational ethics
Correct answer: Deontological ethics
Deontological ethics, associated with Kant, holds that actions are right or wrong based on adherence to rules and duties, not consequences.
Question 3: A school leader learns that a parent on the school board is pressuring teachers to give special grade treatment to their child. The MOST ethical response is to:
- Allow it to maintain good board relations
- Address the conflict of interest formally with the board chair (Correct answer)
- Quietly adjust the grading policy to accommodate all board members' children
- Transfer the child to another teacher's class without explanation
Correct answer: Address the conflict of interest formally with the board chair
Conflict of interest situations require formal, transparent action through proper governance channels to protect institutional integrity.
Question 4: The concept of 'moral courage' in school leadership PRIMARILY refers to:
- Physically protecting students during emergencies
- Willingness to act on ethical principles despite personal or professional risk (Correct answer)
- Enforcing discipline without exception regardless of circumstances
- Following district mandates even when personally disagreeing
Correct answer: Willingness to act on ethical principles despite personal or professional risk
Moral courage means acting on one's ethical convictions even when doing so may invite criticism, conflict, or career consequences.
Question 5: A principal is aware that a close friend on staff has been using school resources for personal business. Ethical leadership requires the principal to:
- Warn the friend privately and take no further action
- Apply the same accountability standards as would apply to any other staff member (Correct answer)
- Recuse themselves entirely and let HR handle it without any involvement
- Wait to see if the behavior escalates before acting
Correct answer: Apply the same accountability standards as would apply to any other staff member
Ethical leaders apply consistent standards regardless of personal relationships to maintain fairness and organizational trust.
Question 6: When a school leader uses student achievement data only when it supports a preferred narrative and omits contradicting data in reports, this is an example of:
- Strategic communication
- Data cherry-picking, an ethical violation of transparency (Correct answer)
- Appropriate data summarization for a general audience
- Standard practice for simplifying complex reports
Correct answer: Data cherry-picking, an ethical violation of transparency
Selectively using data to misrepresent reality violates the ethical principle of transparency and honesty required of school leaders.
Question 7: The ISLLC/PSEL standard on ethics requires school leaders to place the needs of students at the center of decisions. This principle is BEST described as:
- Stakeholder management
- Student-centered ethical stewardship (Correct answer)
- Administrative efficiency
- Democratic governance
Correct answer: Student-centered ethical stewardship
PSEL Standard 2 emphasizes that ethical leaders consistently prioritize the welfare and learning of all students in every decision.
SLLA Ethical Leadership and Integrity 2
A principal discovers that a veteran teacher is padding attendance records to inflate enrollment numbers.
The principal's FIRST action should be to: