SLLA Ethical Leadership and Integrity 5 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: A principal learns through a confidential conversation that a teacher is struggling with substance abuse that has not yet affected job performance. The MOST ethical initial approach is to:
- Immediately notify HR and begin termination proceedings
- Offer support resources privately and monitor for any performance impact (Correct answer)
- Inform the entire staff as a cautionary example
- Do nothing since it hasn't affected performance
Correct answer: Offer support resources privately and monitor for any performance impact
Ethical leaders balance duty of care with respect for privacy, offering assistance while remaining vigilant for any impact on students or staff.
Question 2: The 'ethics of care' framework in school leadership emphasizes:
- Strict rule enforcement to ensure safety
- Relational responsibility and attending to the needs of individuals within the community (Correct answer)
- Prioritizing efficiency in administrative processes
- Applying the same standard to every situation regardless of context
Correct answer: Relational responsibility and attending to the needs of individuals within the community
The ethics of care, developed by Carol Gilligan, prioritizes relationships, empathy, and responsiveness to the individual needs of community members.
Question 3: A school leader who knowingly hires a less qualified candidate because of a personal relationship is PRIMARILY violating which ethical obligation?
- Financial stewardship
- Fair and merit-based employment practices (Correct answer)
- Community transparency
- Professional development mandates
Correct answer: Fair and merit-based employment practices
Merit-based hiring is an ethical obligation; nepotism undermines the fairness and quality of the school's human resources practices.
Question 4: A principal who refuses to follow a district directive they believe is educationally harmful should FIRST:
- Secretly instruct staff to ignore the directive
- Formally advocate through proper channels while complying unless the directive is illegal or unethical (Correct answer)
- Publicly denounce the directive to parents and community members
- Immediately file a grievance with the teachers' union
Correct answer: Formally advocate through proper channels while complying unless the directive is illegal or unethical
Ethical leaders use legitimate advocacy channels to challenge directives they oppose while maintaining compliance unless the directive is clearly illegal or deeply unethical.
Question 5: Which behavior BEST demonstrates a school leader's commitment to 'ethical transparency'?
- Sharing all internal staff communications with parents upon request
- Proactively communicating decision-making rationale and limitations to stakeholders (Correct answer)
- Publishing every financial transaction in a public newsletter
- Holding open-door sessions with no agenda or boundaries
Correct answer: Proactively communicating decision-making rationale and limitations to stakeholders
Ethical transparency means proactively sharing the reasoning behind decisionsânot unlimited disclosureâto build trust while protecting appropriate confidentiality.
Question 6: When a school leader faces a situation where being honest will result in harm to the school's reputation, the ethical priority is to:
- Protect the institution's reputation as the first priority
- Choose honesty, while working proactively to address and mitigate the reputational harm (Correct answer)
- Delay disclosure until the situation resolves itself
- Frame the truth in the most positive way possible, omitting harmful details
Correct answer: Choose honesty, while working proactively to address and mitigate the reputational harm
Long-term institutional trust is built on honesty; concealing damaging truths typically causes greater harm when they eventually emerge.
Question 7: Which of the following MOST accurately reflects the relationship between personal ethics and professional ethics for school leaders under PSEL standards?
- Personal and professional ethics are entirely separate spheres
- Personal ethical character directly informs and is inseparable from professional ethical practice (Correct answer)
- Professional ethics take precedence and should override personal values
- Personal values are irrelevant to formal leadership performance standards
Correct answer: Personal ethical character directly informs and is inseparable from professional ethical practice
PSEL Standard 2 explicitly connects leaders' personal ethical characterâtheir values, integrity, and moral reasoningâwith their professional conduct and decisions.
SLLA Ethical Leadership and Integrity 5
A principal learns through a confidential conversation that a teacher is struggling with substance abuse that has not yet affected job performance.
The MOST ethical initial approach is to: