The purpose of this research study was to explore how educational leaders incorporate the ethic of care into their leadership practices. The theoretical perspective for this study was authentic leadership. This study was guided by the following research question: How do authentic leaders working from an ethic of care maintain consistency between their espoused values of developing and maintaining relationships in the school community and the reflection of those values in their actions? Professors who teach ethics in graduate programs in educational leadership recommended potential research participants for this study based on specific criteria identified from the literature. Four participants were selected to participate in the study. The methodology of portraiture was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the perspectives and experiences of four educational leaders that place relationships as paramount in their organizations. Each participant engaged in three in-depth interviews over a two-week period of time, lasting approximately 1.5 hours each. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using inductive and deductive coding to uncover themes that exist among the data. Three themes and multiple subthemes emerged from the data. The first theme was decision making, which included types of decisions, factors in decision making, and best interests of the student. The second theme was relationships, which included relationships with students, teachers, parents, and self. The third theme was sense of community, which included getting a sense of the community, balancing the best interests of the student and needs of the school community, trust, and cultivating a culture of care. The findings in this study revealed that these educational leaders exhibit three different attributes that allow them to work from an ethic of care. The three attributes are humility, authenticity, and having an understanding of their personal values. Each of these attributes permeated the themes that emerged from the data. These three attributes work together to allow these leaders to maintain consistency between their espoused values of developing and maintaining relationships in the school community and the reflection of those values in their actions. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]