It is said that “real leaders concentrate on doing the right thing, not on doing things right.” School leaders, whose lives are filled with difficult ethical dilemmas, best understand this advice due to the unique set of ethical demands placed on them by the society. Schools are moral institutions, designed to promote social norms, and managements often need to make decisions that favor one moral value over another. Moreover, although schools are dedicated to the well being of children, students have virtually no voice in what happens there. Hence, the leaders’ conduct “must be deliberately moral.”

An ethical dilemma is at times is accentuated because it does not involve a choice between right and wrong, but a choice between two rights.

Dilemmas arise when cherished values conflict. A principal who values both teacher autonomy and student achievement will face a dilemma when teachers want to enact a policy that lowers expectations. This kind of conflict is heightened because school leaders and teachers are accountable to the society at large.

What virtues or ethics are most important for school leaders? Some studies suggest that honesty is the quality most appreciated by subordinates in a principal. To be an ethical school leader, then, is not a matter of following a few simple rules. The leader's responsibility is complex and multi–dimensional, rooted less in technical expertise than in simple human integrity.