The quality of leadership and the effectiveness of schools to deliver an appropriate education through quality teaching have been ‘hot’ topics within education and more widely for several decades. This article provides a brief historical overview of developments in research and changing paradigms of Australian school leadership, followed by a discussion of current leadership development emphasis and provision and emerging concepts in the field such as leadership standards, capital formation in education and leadership in small schools. The article concludes by suggesting areas of policy and program development that may require further consideration.