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This special issue emerges from a call to examine how educational leaders are navigating a landscape defined by unprecedented complexity - marked by shifting societal expectations, intensifying accountability structures, and evolving demands. Central to this issue is the interplay among challenges, context, and courage, as well as a critical distinction between reactive and proactive leadership. The diverse international contributions assembled here collectively illuminate how leaders are not only responding to complexity but also reimagining leadership practice in ways that build resilience, readiness, and hope.

Welcome to the second edition of the Australian Educational Leader (AEL) for 2026. In this issue, we dive into Sustainability in the Profession, featuring thought-provoking lead articles from Michelle Heath and Dr Antionette Cole. Our AEL Interview this edition shines a spotlight on the insights and experiences of Terry Burke. You’ll also discover inspiring Success Stories, a thought-provoking Leadership Challenge, and a fresh selection of Book Reviews to spark your professional curiosity.

Rethinking Leadership Scholarship: Beyond Labels, Transplants, and Trivialities.

A new special L&M issue challenges educational leadership research to move beyond superficial categorisation and Western-centric models. This issue invites manuscripts that ground leadership within its organisational, historical, and sociopolitical contexts, redirecting attention toward substantive questions about power, purpose, equity, and outcomes.

We welcome research that critiques "leadership-by-adjective" labels, examines cross-cultural transplants of leadership constructs, and theorises leadership as relational, situated, and contingent. Abstracts close 16 June 2026.