The Affect of Diversity and Ethical Principles in Primary and Secondary Educational Leadership: A Hermeneutical Phenomenology Study

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of diversity and ethical principles in educational leadership for teachers, administrators, and classified licensed professionals within minority school districts. Downton’s (2016) theory on transformational leadership guided this study's theoretical framework for the research and ensuing findings. This research was created to answer the following central question: What are the perceived effects of diversity and ethical principles on teachers, administrators, and classified licensed professionals within minority school districts? Three sub-questions were used to understand the experiences of diversity and ethical principles in educational leadership within minority school districts. The qualitative methodology was used to capture and comprehend participants' lived experiences in underserved school districts. An underserved school district in a southeast county served as the site from which participants were selected. The study included 11 participants from underserved school districts. Data was collected from interviews, focus groups, and protocol writings. Data analysis transpired through transcribing and coding of salient keywords, with the codes becoming themes. Three themes were identified from data analysis: (a) The need for transformational leadership, (b) the impact of diversity, and (c) the lack of workforce development. Results indicated that transformational leadership contributed to minority student success. All participants agreed that the lack of diversity and the lack of workforce development and training significantly affected their ability to meet the need for minority educational success in underserved school districts.