▼ massachusetts curriculum frameworks in english/language arts (ela) aligned to the common core state standards were issued in 2011 and full implementation is expected for the 2014--2015 school year. teachers have been tasked with aligning their curriculum such that their lessons and units will prepare their students for state assessments aligned with the new frameworks. this study utilized a casual--comparative ex post facto design to examine, through the lens of piderit's (2000) multidimensional response to change in conjunction with chin and benne's (1961) leadership strategies of planned change, the extent to which a teachers' perceptions of leadership style affect that teacher's cognitive, emotional, intentional and behavioral response to the state--mandated changes in literacy instruction across content areas. leadership style was operationalized as one of the following: power--coercive, rational--empirical, or normative--reeducative. an online survey was distributed to all k--12 members of the massachusetts teachers association. data were analyzed via manova; significant pillai's trace indicated the need for one--way anova and post--hoc tests for each independent variable. results indicate a significant difference exists in teacher responses between leadership styles. teachers responded cognitively, emotionally and intentionally more positively when they perceived a normative--reeducative or a rational--empirical style versus a power--coercive style. discussion centers on effective leadership during changes in policy and practice in public education.