<p> The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multi-site case study was to explore how principals perceived the influence of role models in the development of ethical leadership behaviors in principals in a school district in Maryland and to elaborate on teachers and staff description of the ethical leadership behaviors modeled by principals. Research directed the need to know how principals perceived the influence of role models in the development of ethical leadership behaviors in principals, as well as teachers and staff description of the ethical leadership behaviors modeled by principals. The sample consisted of four principals and seventeen teachers from four Title 1 middle schools in a school district in Maryland. The data collection instruments used were the in-depth interview on principals and teachers; open-ended questionnaire, and focus group discussions with teachers. The qualitative exploratory multi-site case study was used to explore the research questions, and the data were analyzed, and coded using the MAXQDA software into themes and sub-themes. The findings from this study confirmed that principals&rsquo; ethical leadership behaviors were acquired from childhood through adulthood and career life. Ethical leadership behaviors modeled by principals included behaviors like supportiveness, integrity, honesty, fairness, respectfulness, utilizing rewards, open communication, accountability, trustworthiness, cooperativeness, committed to high professional standards, motivational, and modeling expectations. The findings showed some variations in the principals&rsquo; demonstration of ethical leadership behaviors as some of the principals were considered to be more ethical than others. </p><p>

<p> Contemporary educational theory and practice emphasizes interpersonal teacher&ndash;student relationships as a means of enhancing academic performance, promoting social development, and improving class management. Unfortunately, related policy, training, and professional standards have lagged. Into this void steps the principal, who as school leader falls the responsibility of guiding staff. </p><p> Twelve (12) principals from public secondary schools (grades 6&ndash;12) in central and coastal Virginia were interviewed, to gather their descriptions of how they perceived appropriate ethical teacher&ndash;student relationships, and their practice in promoting and maintaining them in their schools. A qualitative methodology grounded in social constructivism was employed, which included inductive coding of the transcripts, and content analysis to categorize results. Principals&rsquo; practice was then compared with theoretical approaches from literature, which included care theory (Noddings, 1984), professional development and practice theory (Shapiro and Stefkovich, 2016), and standards based professionalism (Barrett et al., 2012; Barrett et al., 2006). </p><p> The results indicated that principals envisioned positive teacher&ndash;student relationships as a critical enabler for class management and improved instructional outcomes. Foundations for the relationship were the teacher&rsquo;s caring and professional behavior, and placing a genuine priority on acting in the best interest of students. The boundaries for the relationship were behaviors that detracted from, or undermined that foundation, and potentially traumatized or harmed students. Principals described the development of friendship and personally intimate relationships between teachers and students as the gateway to potential ethical relationship boundary issues, and sought to reduce opportunities for this to occur. The key factors in principal practice for promoting and maintaining ethical teacher&ndash;student relationships were described in terms of modeling expected behaviors, training staff, promoting a positive school culture and climate, and monitoring behaviors. Leadership and the ability of the principal to cope with peripheral influences on the school were also recognized as important factors. Three models from literature attempted to enhance understanding of how principals promote and maintain ethical and productive teacher&ndash;student relationships. Principals described using elements from all of these approaches, attempting to promote and develop positive attributes and skills in their staff, while at the same time monitoring and supervising their behaviors in relation to standards. </p><p> Research findings implied that ethical teacher-student relationships and associated boundaries are clearly defined conceptually, vaguely defined in policy, and ambiguously defined in practice. The absence and vagueness of policy and standards places an onus on the principal to develop teacher attributes and skills, and for teachers to be able to act semi-independently as professionals. All as principals, teachers, and schools are under intensified public scrutiny, in the age of social media and electronic communications. Principals confronted the issue by drawing on their character, experience, skills, and leadership, which they tempered to meet the context and challenges of their respective schools. Student safety and trauma (physical and psychological) surfaced as growing concerns for school leadership, and something that needed to be factored more prominently into decision making.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to explore personal and organizational values, their influence and alignment, in the ethical decision-making of Catholic school principals. Semi-structured interviews allowed the 12 participants to explore personal and school values, areas of congruence and dissonance, methods for resolving dissonance, the process of values alignment, and the influence of the Catholic school culture. Site observations and analyses of mission statements provided insight as to community values for each of the participating schools. </p><p> The review of the literature yielded a means by which to connect values of the principal with those of the school community. The individual level examined the formation of the school leader through personal values, professional preparation programs, and ongoing self-reflection. The communal level analyzed the nature of school culture, namely the Catholic school framework, and how community members perceived their organizational climate. The process of ethical decision-making through multiple paradigms formed the active connection relating individual and communal value sets. </p><p> The conceptual framework depicted the aforementioned values relationship. Values alignment and values congruence formed the theoretical framework, exploring how to bring personal and organizational values into alignment and the resulting congruence or dissonance between them. Although prevalent in the business sector, this study&rsquo;s application of the theory in education suggested ramifications for decision-making, job satisfaction, and professional success. </p><p> Findings showed salient values across participant responses, observations, and documents and highlighted concepts of organizational fit, prayer as process of reflection, and individual versus communal goods. Further, values awareness and values negotiation were found to be layers in the dynamic process of alignment by which an appreciation of pre-existing stakeholder values could be brought to bear in discerning potential success or failure of change through ethical decision-making. The Catholic school culture, consisting of a seemingly unified values framework, provided a common sense of mission, vernacular, and expression through artifacts and d&eacute;cor. Recommendations were posited for &ldquo;match&rdquo; programs that could connect aspiring principals with schools of similar values. Delving more deeply into values awareness and negotiation by further examining principal motive and collecting broader stakeholder feedback could stimulate additional research.</p><p>