This case study presents a fictionalized narrative account of a university-industry partnership across a 5-year period. The case presented involves a hypothetical public research university and their partnership with a Fortune 500 company. A brief background on the history of university-industry partnerships is provided with highlights of key…

Through widespread "opt-out" efforts over the past several years, parent and student activists have pressured schools, districts, states, and the federal government to reconsider the extent and limits of state-mandated assessments. This case study focuses on the ethical questions faced by a principal in a school divided over state…

In June 2019, the Vatican published its first-ever document on gender theory. This document was directed at Catholic educational institutions and draws on theology and philosophy, while excluding science on gender identity and testimonies from transgender people, to suggest gender theory is an ideology endangering the family. The case of Jane, a…

This case study is a combination of real-life events that describe the complexity of dual roles within a small school. The administrators in this case have to determine the consequences in response to a student's misbehavior, who happens to be the godchild of the superintendent and the daughter of a middle school principal. The child's high school…

In this case, a high school vice-principal encounters tension and anger when she rewrites a staff member's report card comments without his knowledge. The case narrative examines the conflict that arises when, under time constraints and pressures to produce student reports, the vice-principal acts on a decision she believes is ethically correct…

This case focuses on a novice principal who advocates for a student who was assigned to the first grade for 3 consecutive years. As the instructional leader of the school, the novice principal is troubled by ethics and social justice issues involved to make the decision to assign the student to his age-appropriate grade. The student was placed in…

Gender discrimination and sexual harassment persist on college campuses across the United States. This seems especially obvious at the beginning of the academic year when many freshman women and their parents are welcomed to campus with sexually explicit signs displayed on all-male residences. But, sometimes, sexual harassment and gender…

This case was developed for use in a learning-centered course with a focus on administrative leadership and ethical behavior. This case describes the experience of a new faculty member at Saint Ambrose University, as she discovers a wide range of ethical and management problems in her department. The case unfolds as we track her efforts to deal…

In 2015-2016, news stories from Charleston, South Carolina, and the University of Missouri, among others, motivated and inspired many people to organize against assaults on the Black community generally and Black students in particular. Similarly, Black students at Robert E. Lee High School in Virginia have come together around what they perceive…

To build capacity for students in educational leadership programs, we developed a teaching case study focused on managing emotion for ethical decision making in supervision of personnel. The case offers troubling encounters between a secondary assistant principal and a novice teacher, a veteran teacher, and a veteran administrator. Scenarios…

High-stakes accountability policies have brought about significant change in schools, but have also triggered instances of cheating and gaming at school and district levels. This undisguised case study involves the El Paso Independent School District, one of its high schools, and a popular principal accused of cheating. This context provides the…

Inspired by real-life events, this case describes the dilemma of a novice assistant principal who must balance her role as an administrator at her high school campus where a cousin's son, Eddie, recently enrolled and is proving to be disruptive the first month of school. Troubled by questions of ethics and loyalty, the issue is complicated after…

This case study focuses on the ethics of advocating for a social justice perspective versus jeopardizing one's career aspirations. There are numerous subplots to this case involving the start-up of a new magnet school, including its leaders' concerns for meeting accountability measures and representing racially diverse, limited English proficient,…

This case study creates a dilemma that many school districts face. Public education is under-funded. Principals are expected to be the instructional leaders and are held accountable for student achievement. Is it appropriate then for public schools to have local businesses as benefactors when teaching personnel are involved? The conflict between…

This case study explores an ethical dilemma faced by a new junior high school principal. It is appropriate for use in all preparation course work, including the internship. Studies show that novice principal decision making differs from that of experienced principals in moral dilemmas, including following policy versus best interests of the…