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constantly reminds us that leaders
make a host of decisions, many of
which are values based (Hodgkinson,
1991; Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2005;
Willower, 1992). The heart of a school
leader? job, according to Strike, Haller,
and Soltis (2005), is the intersection of
value judgments and moral decision
making. Begley (1999, 2000) describes
a variety of contextual factors
highlighting the importance of values
and their influence on school
leadership:
??Value conflicts increase in a pluralistic
society, making it essential to understand
the norms and values of other ethnic and
cultural groups
??Leaders??work is not predictable, routine,
??Professional ethics are often vague and
open to differing interpretations
??Decision making requires a judgment of
alternative courses of action and their
possible consequences
??When mediating conflict, leaders must
reconcile personal, professional,
organizational, and societal values
??Leaders need to be aware of their core
values to determine if they are compatible
with the values of the organization and
community
??When leaders??espoused values do not
match their actions, they lose credibility
As a result of the increasing concerns
about social disintegration and moral
decline, Murphy (2002) believes school
leaders need to be moral stewards
capable of defining the purpose of
schools, articulating their own personal
beliefs and values, and being passionate
about their role. This shift in leaders?? or well structured responsibilities means that the days of
solely managing budgets, obtaining
resources, and telling others in their
organizations what to do have long
passed.
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