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

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.

Table of Contents:
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.

About the Author :
Douglas J. Simpson is Associated Professor in the College of Education at Texas Christian University, and Helen DeVitt Jones Chair in Teacher Education Emeritus at Texas Tech University. He is a past president of the Canadian Philosophy of Education Society and the American Educational Studies Association. Donal M. Sacken is Professor Emeritus of Education in the College of Education at Texas Christian University. He has taught at all levels, mostly in the areas of administration and educational foundations. He has served as a legal consultant for school districts, and now is chair of the board at a local charter school.

Review :
'This well-crafted book is a compelling and worthy addition to the scholarly literature on ethics and education. The authors have metabolized their close study of Dewey's ethics and they apply it with flair and sensitivity to the ethical challenges, large and small, that saturate life in schools.' David T. Hansen, Weinberg Professor and Director of the Program in Philosophy and Education, Columbia University 'Educators worldwide are enacting anew the work of John Dewey in teaching and leading in schools. The authors present Dewey's ethical thinking as it informs hypothetical principal Maria De La Garza as she works through ethical dilemmas. This is a fresh take on Dewey that I will use with my doctoral students.' A. G. Rud, Distinguished Professor, Washington State University, and Past President, John Dewey Society '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