The following is a Message from the AEL Journal Volume 47 Issue 4
In this edition of the Australian Educational Leader, we are reminded that leadership in education is both a privilege and a responsibility—a responsibility to nurture purpose, connection, and hope in every learning community across Australia. As I begin my journey as CEO of ACEL, I am deeply conscious that our shared work takes place in
a moment of profound transition: one where rapid technological change meets enduring human values, and where leadership requires the capacity to effectively support others through complexity and uncertainty.
The President’s message in this issue captures this beautifully: we are in a “decade of disorientation,” where educational leaders must navigate five interwoven shifts—values, technology, accountability, trust, and energy. In responding to these shifts, our challenge is not only to adapt but to lead with purpose—to ensure that leadership is
not concentrated in titles, but distributed, nurtured, and sustained in every classroom, staffroom, and community.
Emerging leaders: Shaping the next generation
Among ACEL’s most vital priorities is our support for emerging and aspiring leaders. These educators—often in the early to middle stages of their careers—are the lifeblood of our profession’s future. They bring curiosity, courage, and fresh perspective to the task of leading learning. Yet, they also face unique challenges: navigating systems in flux, managing competing demands, and finding their voice in spaces that can feel overwhelming.
Our role as a professional community is to make leadership visible, accessible, and inviting. We must design pathways that allow emerging leaders to develop confidence through authentic practice—through mentoring, professional networks, and experiences that cultivate both leadership capability and identity. True leadership begins with self-awareness, as Laurie Brady reminds us in his article in this issue: personal reflection and self-knowledge are the foundations upon which authentic relationships and resilient leadership are built.
Middle leaders: The heart of school improvement
Middle leaders occupy what Michael Fullan calls the “vital middle”—a space where strategy meets practice, and where leadership most directly impacts teaching, learning, and culture. They translate vision into action, connect teachers with system goals, and hold the relational threads that sustain a school’s professional community.
As ACEL deepens its focus on middle leadership, our aim is to amplify the voice of those who lead from the middle. These leaders model adaptability, integrity, and influence, at times without authority. They embody the shift from compliance to commitment, from positional leadership to purposeful leadership. From the commencement of 2026, ACEL will shine a light on those outstanding practitioners in Australian education through a “Spotlight” series to encapsulate their work and its impact.
Supporting them requires tailored professional learning that honours their context: programs that build trust-based collaboration, coaching capacity, and the courage to lead innovation. As this issue’s authors remind us—whether exploring connected autonomy, creative pedagogy, or the ethical use of AI—middle leaders are the ones who make educational transformation real in classrooms every day.
Rural, regional and remote leaders: Leading in place
Nowhere is the complexity and creativity of educational leadership more evident than in rural, regional and remote (RRR) contexts.Leadership in these settings is characterised by deep relationality, community interdependence, and an extraordinary capacity to innovate with limited resources. It is leadership that demands not
only skill, but stamina; not only vision, but active presence.
ACEL’s commitment is to ensure that these leaders are seen, heard, and supported—that leadership networks extend equitably to every postcode. Leadership in place is leadership with purpose: grounded in community, responsive to context, and guided by a belief in the transformative potential of local action. As Geoffrey Gates highlights in his reflections on creativity and innovation, authentic learning often emerges from connection—to people, to place, and to purpose.
To further enable rural, regional and remote leaders, the ACEL Community platform offers members access to an invaluable network of peers with shared values and goals. Through this professional community, leaders may exchange ideas, request support, and obtain essential resources and information. Our safe, collaborative environment ensures that no leader remains isolated and that every perspective contributes meaningfully to shaping educational outcomes at both local and national levels.
Leadership for human flourishing
Across the diverse contributions in this edition—on AI, ethical leadership, wellbeing, and learner agency—a shared theme emerges: the centrality of human connection. The question is not only how well our students perform, but how we prepare them to be brilliant humans in an uncertain world.
For educational leaders, this means leading with both head and heart—using data wisely, but never allowing it to eclipse the moral purpose of education. It means cultivating trust, embracing ambiguity, and creating spaces where teachers and students alike can learn, unlearn, and relearn.
In this spirit, ACEL continues to evolve as the place for the profession—a place of rigour, dialogue, and belonging. A place where emerging, middle and regional leaders can connect with peers, challenge ideas, and co-create the future of educational leadership in Australia.
A call to collective leadership
As we look ahead, the task before us is clear: to build a leadership landscape that is inclusive, future-focused, and deeply human. To ensure that leadership is not something done to others, but something created with them. Whether in metropolitan hubs or remote townships, whether at the beginning of a leadership journey
or decades into it, our collective commitment must be to lead with purpose, with courage, and with compassion.
Together, we can shape learning systems that truly reflect the values we hold most dear—systems that prepare not just learners for the future, but leaders for every place and every stage.