While numerous philosophical essays offer speculative explanations of how persons should make ethical decisions, empirical investigations of the phenomenon of ethical decision-making are limited to just a few studies in the discipline of business management. This investigation focused on the ethical dilemmas confronted by educators, with emphasis given to identifying the kinds of ethical dilemmas and the process used to resolve them. Using grounded theory, the investigator analyzed 24 case studies written by doctoral students in an educational leadership program. Results suggest that educators utilize a contingency model that considers both the type and moral intensity of the dilemma when making ethical decisions.