In almost all societies schools are seen as an important base for transferring knowledge and values on how today´s society works and develop from one generation to the next. To go to school is considered as an opportunity for the individual student to require knowledge and skills to be able to make individual choices and prepare enough skills for a coming employment or occupation. At the same time, we see research report describing schools with problems to attract students, competent teachers and get enough economical founding to support and meet the needs of all students. Besides transferring individual competence and skills, schools have an important task to foster citizens in relation to national policy and culture. Schools plays in that sense an important role in how the national state is understood and valued. Right now, there is globally an increased focus on nationalism with stricter border controls and a stricter view on what to teach in relation to the own countries history and todays governance systems and policy. At the same time, we have global problems related to climate change, war, and organized crime that affects all societies in one way or the other. New technology and AI opens possibilities that we have not seen before. Taken together national and global events and processes change culture, values and norms which directly impact schools and the younger generation. With these issues, we believe that future schooling needs to focus on sensemaking, values and ethics to meet coming challenges where the ambition to sustain and build democratic citizens are crucial. This requires that school leaders generate schools that combine academic learning with issues related to how we interact and work together as individuals as well as organizations and nations. A school where being together, and experience various perspective can build new generations that see the importance of cooperation to meet mutual challenges. This paper is a commentary that explores these issues and the leadership we will argue for is an authentic value-based leadership for democratic improvement focusing on creating an understanding and balance between individual and public good.

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