Abstract
Despite the extensive literature on the management of educational change (see for example
Fullan, 2001, 2003), one constant in that literature is the consensus that such change is both
complex and contextualised. A crucial consequence of that constant is the multiple fronts and
levels on which school principals as change leaders and managers must engage with change, in
order to bring about the most effective possible outcomes for students, families and
communities.
It is this link between change at the levels of school, community and society with which this
paper is concerned. The first-named author of the paper is the Principal of the Queensland School for Travelling Show Children (QSTSC), and the paper outlines how she operates as a change leader and manager, as well as some of the challenges and opportunities that she meets in doing so. The paper begins by outlining the context of her work, then moves to discuss her multiple roles as change agent in the school, in the show community and in Australian society
more broadly.