School leadership has recently required more and more time and consideration as schools are held accountable for significant changes in student learning outcomes (Leithwood & Riehl, 2005, p. 12) . With pressure coming from all levels of government, principals are not the only ones held accountable for student achievement (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003). Davis (2012) strongly identifies with this as middle management roles and teachers within a school are required to work collaboratively to achieve goals and make cultural change a reality. This article will discuss the traditional social construction of leadership and how the use of transformational leadership planned, developed and established alternative learning within a rural New South Wales high school. This paper will also discuss and analyze the effectiveness of the leadership that has taken place. This program was designed and is ongoing to address low attendance and retention of target students ages 14 to 17. This program was run in partnership with local employment providers, Aboriginal training groups as well as the local tertiary training centre. School X is an isolated high school within a town with a population of 3000 people (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011). The student population currently stands at 210, of which 50% identify as indigenous (McDonald & Levinston, 2011). A large percentage of the city's vocation is made up of unskilled labour, most of these are also small business owners (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011). These include earthmoving companies, primary industry service companies and only a small percentage of the city has a post-sec... mid-paper... on leadership? Leadership for the disillusioned: Moving beyond myths and heroes to become a leader who liberates (pp. 17-34). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.Stogdill, R. M. (1948). Personal factors associated with leadership: A survey of the literature. The Journal of Psychology, 25(1), 35-71. Tobin, T., & Sprague, J. (1999). Alternative education programs for at-risk youth: Issues, best practices, and recommendations. Oregon School Board Bulletin, 42, 20.Watkins, P. (1986). A Critical Review of Leadership Concepts and Research: Implications for Educational Administration: Publication Sales, Deakin University Press, Deakin University, Victoria 3217, Australia ($12.50 AUD; quantity discounts). Williams, B. P. (2011). An analysis of participation in servant leadership as self-reported by elementary school principals in southwest Georgia.