Ethical Dilemmas in Schools
Collaborative Inquiry, Decision-Making, and Action

A school's ethical life is studied as the authors examine ethical theories, everyday controversies, dilemmas, and decision-making.

Douglas J. Simpson (Author), Donal M. Sacken (Author)

9781108798334, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 5 November 2020

250 pages
15 x 23 x 1.5 cm, 0.4 kg

'This is an excellent overview of how Dewey's understanding of ethics helps teachers, educational leaders, and administrators tackle the complex dilemmas they face today. The use of imagined ethical scenarios in schools is effective in stimulating our moral imagination and demonstrates the power of Dewey's ideas in the context of a school.' Gregory Pappas, Professor of Philosophy, Texas A & M University

This work investigates the complexity of ethics as a field of inquiry and practice across a principal's career. Fully contextualized, and thus carrying the contradictions and requirements of any school, the issues realistically do not usually lead to a single, beat-all answer, as any solution will likely have positive and negative consequences. Drawn from the authors' experiences and studies of schools over decades, the central figure is a fictional principal of a magnet school, whose dilemmas reflect the questions educators must be prepared for. Each decision takes into account the principal's and staff's identities and values because they are all human and their opinions influence the outcomes. The work injects analytic, virtue, feminist, care, deontological, and critical theory insights as Deweyan ethics provides a lens for examining dilemmas. This accessible work blends reflective theory, the ordinary worlds of schools, and engaging pedagogical practice to guide those planning to enter the education sector.

1. What Can Educators Expect from Ethics?
2. What Does Sympathy or Empathy Have to Do with Ethics?
3. How Are Ethical Principles Useful?
4. What Does Regard for People Imply?
5. What Is a Problematic Ethical Situation?
6. What Are the Qualities of an Ethical Educator?
7. What Are the Characteristics of a Good School?
Epilogue
Appendix. An Interview with Maria
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Educational psychology [JNC], Moral & social purpose of education [JNAM], Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ]