Curriculum and Transformation: Rethinking Leadership and Schools All Over Again

Abstract

In this article I present the complex multiplicities of leadership and power in schools by examining leadership and curriculum in sustainable change for K-12 schools. I argue that stakeholders need to value an open community based upon ideals in which freedom of expression is protected, civility is affirmed, and appreciation and understanding of individual differences are honored; where stakeholders value a caring community in which the well-being of each person is important. I speculate that change will take place when we see leadership as value-laden and when power and empathy in decision making is reflective. This article concludes that transformational leadership will occur when all stakeholders in K-12 education engage in an active process of questioning the visible and hidden curricula, understand affective change for learners, and confront the complexity of the social, political, economic, and historical influences on our schools.