ABSTRACT
School principals find themselves in an intriguing paradox. On the one hand, they are leaders of clearly defined units, including building faculty, staff, students, and families. The tension that is most relevant to explore from the principal's perspective is one that pits democratic ethical leadership against the behaviors of conventional school leaders. At the heart of democratic ethical educational leadership are the several vision statements that distinguish this aspirational form of leadership from conventional leadership. Cases of heightened turbulence may offer opportunities to innovate toward democratic ethical leadership by using the energy of the turbulence. The tension between the New Democratic Ethical Educational Leadership vision statements on the one hand and conventional leadership behaviors on the other hand is real, and the internal turbulence it leads to is palpable, especially for those in the principal's chair.
