Welcome back to Term 2; I trust you enjoyed a break over the recent break. It was one of those unusual years where the break was peppered with public holidays - Easter, ANZAC Day - so quite a different dynamic for those who were able to have some time away. For those of us still at work, though, two short weeks also felt like it disrupted life’s rhythm.
It's been quite a month for leadership talk, to put it mildly. The recent passing of Pope Francis shone a spotlight on his widely admired authenticity, humanity, and care for those often left out of that same spotlight. Among the mourners were plenty who confessed they were not religious, but were captivated by the way his generosity and love was displayed to all. While scholars Einola and Alvesson (2021, p. 485) argue that authentic leadership is such a difficult model because it’s “just very difficult to grasp and study in a straight-forward manner”, plenty of non-religious non-scholars had no such trouble to see it in the life of Pope Francis. It’s a good time to reflect on how authentic others might see my leadership, even those who don’t necessarily “buy-in” to the total message.
And speaking of messaging, the fallout from last Saturday’s election loss for the Liberal Party has had searing focus on issues related to leadership. Here are just two. First, internal squabbling has already begun on the grounds that some in the party believe there was no coherent narrative to tell. This is such an important role for leaders. They need to explain the why, what, where, how, and when of life for their community, whether an early learning centre, a school, a university, or a nation. Leaders must be story-tellers, meaning makers, and it looks like some in the Liberal Party feel they didn’t do enough of this.
Second, with the return of the Labor Party, the risk of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement being amended by a new government has disappeared. Extraordinary leadership by many has secured full funding for public schools, established a Ministerial Principals Reference Group, and prioritised teacher and school leader wellbeing as one of the Agreement’s priorities. It will be exciting to see the delivery of these major changes for Australian Education. It’s time we talk about the good things that are built into the agreement, and particularly to celebrate the commitment to deliver full funding for our public schools.
There’s still time to register for the upcoming Middle Leadership Summit on the Gold Coast (June 203), headlined by former NSW President and middle leadership expert Associate Professor Kylie Lispcombe. Registrations are also open for the National Conference to be hosted this year by the NSW Branch in Sydney.
Here in the NSW Branch, we’re stepping into new ventures, too, as was mentioned at the end of last year. We’re starting some conversations based on current hot topics. Our first is an innovative and interactive discussion with Dr Nick Jackson and Matt Esterman, the authors of Next Word, a book that explores the strategic and practical use of AI in schools. The session will briefly outline the recent history of AI as it pertains to education. Nick and Matt will surface and discuss key elements from the book, whilst also introducing (very) recent developments and impacts of AI in education. The authors will explore how leaders are grappling with these ideas in schools right now, including stories and opportunities for questions from participants. Registration can be completed here. We hope to see you there.
Date: June 4th, 2025
Time: 8.00-8.30am NSW Time
Location: Zoom link sent to registered participants
Cost: ACEL Members Free, Non-members $10
REGISTER NOW
Book available here from Amba Press.
Paul Kidson
ACEL NSW Branch President