The importance of professional and/or practical ethics cannot be overstated in most occupations, especially in light of our contemporary, interconnected world. Within formal education, the management paradigm is shifting as a result of a continuing refocus on the moral and ethical dimensions of working and leading in schools. Although professional norms and personal qualities of the educator can be powerful in directing and informing work-related judgment and behavior, this book puts forth and expands upon the viability of a professional ethic for education and educational administration and leadership in particular. The expansion of such an ethic for education has been underway, but in its current state could be viewed as underdeveloped or commonly misunderstood as obvious and simplistic. In this book, such an ethic for educational administration is presented, developed, and interrogated. This critical reader makes a strong argument for the legitimacy of a professional ethic for the field of education by drawing together a diverse collection of literature that explores, critically examines, and further develops a practical ethical paradigm for the field.

William C. Frick (PhD, Educational Theory and Policy, The Pennsylvania State University) is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, University of Oklahoma. Among his publications are articles that have appeared in the Journal of Educational Administration, the Journal of Beliefs and Values, the Journal of School Leadership, the American Journal of Education and forthcoming work in Educational Administration Quarterly.

Contents: Joan Poliner Shapiro/Jacqueline A. Stefkovich: An Ethic of the Profession (originally published as Viewing Ethical Dilemmas Through Multiple Paradigms) ¿ Jacqueline A. Stefkovich: Students¿ Best Interests Framework ¿ Keith D. Walker: The Varying Meanings of «Best Interests» ¿ Gary D. Fenstermacher/Marianne Amarel: The Inherent Tensions Between Interests in Schooling ¿ Victor L. Worsfold: The Nuanced Nature of Students¿ Rights ¿ R. Brian Howe/Katherine Covell: How Student Rights and Responsibility Comingle ¿ Robin S. Dillon/Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot/Erich Fromm/Robert Kunzman: Respect: A Bricolage of Perspectives ¿ William C. Frick: Practicing a Professional Ethic: Leading for Students¿ Best Interests ¿ William C. Frick/Kathrine J. Gutierrez: Moral Uniqueness: The Profession of Educational Leadership ¿ Rosita López: High-StakesTesting, Demographic Shifts and Failing Schools: Why Students Can¿t Tell Right from Wrong ¿ Emily R. Crawford: Circumscribed Education? Immigration Enforcement and Undocumented Students¿ Best Interests.