Of course, during any tenure of leadership, ethical issues will arise regarding personal conflicts between students and teachers. Some ethical issues which may arise may concern the need to police harassment, which can take place between students and also between teachers and other members of the staff. Mediation is usually the first step in dealing with any complaints, but there must also be a clearly-articulated policy by the school to reduce the chances of such complaints arising in the first place. Regardless, policy must be clearly articulated in writing and the rights and confidentiality of staff members must be respected during any disputes that occur.
The hierarchical nature of a school's leadership means that it is very easy to 'pass the blame' when things go wrong. Administrators must take responsibility for areas which the school is working on, and create a plan for success. Goal-setting should be both for the short and the long-term....
Goals must be refined and rendered more realistic, based upon how the external environment shifts and changes.
Of course, it is only natural that sometimes morale may lag, and leaders must use more directive forms of leadership. But even when leadership that involves 'telling' people what to do more than 'showing' is needed, this must be done with sensitivity and awareness to the emotional needs of the staff member or student. Communication must not be shut down, both in-house and also to parents and the exterior world. Ethical behavior is reinforced by understanding that the school is part of a wider community.
Reference
Fowler, Denver J. (2010). Review of Rebore, Ronald W. (2000) The ethics of educational leadership. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. Academic Leadership, 8 (3):
Retrieved November 9, 2011 at http://www.academicleadership.org/article/The_Ethics_of_Educational_Leadership
