Moral Reckoning in Special Education Leadership: Approaching a Substantive Theory

• In Event: 72.015 - Moral Reasoning as a Compass: School Leadership for Caring and Inclusive Schools

Abstract

This paper constitutes an ongoing research project employing an innovative, grounded theory methodology. The study focuses on practicing administrators’ realities when grappling with their own moral reckoning and responding to special education students and services within their schools. The core concept terminology of “moral reckoning” is borrowed from the nursing sciences (Nathaniel (2003, 2006), but a systematic discovery of theory through data analyses remains central to this investigation. Carefully examining public school principals’ meaning-making and their individual experiences when grappling with special education issues, our analysis addresses issues of dis/ability in schooling and administrative decision-making. The basis for a robust analysis of the deeply held mindsets and beliefs constituting a working normative theory of practitioner-based moral reckoning is provided.

Authors

• William C. Frick, University of Oklahoma

• Barbara L Pazey, The University of Texas - Austin