{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.021822849807445442, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 6.155963302752293, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Democratic School Leaders: Defining Ethical Leadership in a Standardized Context

The purpose of this article is to learn from active educational leaders engaged in the practice of democratic, ethical leadership. In this article, we share findings of a qualitative study that used narrative inquiry to examine the stories of eight educational leaders. We discuss three themes arising from the participants’ narratives that define ethical, democratic leadership: understanding ethical sensitivities and personal narratives; actions that leaders engage in to support their democratic, ethical beliefs; and balancing ethical, democratic responsibility and standardized accountability. From these themes, we offer suggestions to expand leadership preparation, research, and practice.