Schools are moral institutions, designed to promote social norms, and principals are moral agents who must often make decisions that favor one moral value over another. Moreover, although schools are dedicated to the well-being of children, students have virtually no voice in what happens there. Thus, the principal must not only behave responsibly as an individual, but must create an ethical institution. As leaders, principals have a special responsibility to exercise authority in an ethical way. Coercion through bureaucratic authority will seldom have a positive, lasting effect.
Dilemmas arise when cherished values conflict.
A principal who values both teacher autonomy and student achievement will face a dilemma when teachers want to enact a policy that lowers expectations. This kind of conflict is heightened because school leaders are public officials with obligations to many people who often have competing values or interests. Some studies suggest that obligations to superiors put special pressure on ethical decision-making. Kirby and her colleagues speculate that these hypothetical colleagues actually reflect the norm. But a number of thinkers have suggested some guidelines.