ETHICAL LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT: THE ROLE OF PRINCIPALS IN BUILDING INTEGRITY-DRIVEN SCHOOL CULTURES

Abstract

Ethical leadership by school principals is a central lever for shaping school culture, guiding day-to-day decisions, and building trust among teachers, students, parents and the wider community. Drawing on theoretical work that locates ethical leadership in social learning and decision-making frameworks, and on empirical syntheses of school leadership research, this seminar paper examines how principals’ values, behaviors and processes influence moral climates, staff professional conduct, and ultimately student outcomes. The paper reviews core theories, summarizes key empirical findings, identifies common ethical dilemmas for principals, and offers a practical roadmap of strategies policy, pedagogy, personnel and accountability that principals can use to create integrity-driven schools. The argument is that ethical leadership is not only a matter of individual virtue but an organizational practice that can be taught, assessed and embedded through systems, routines and role modelling. (Keywords: ethical leadership, principals, school culture, trust, decision-making, integrity)