<![CDATA[Curriculum management in madrasahs extends far beyond the administrative preparation of learning documents; it requires principals to translate national education policy into learning practices that reflect students' characteristics and the distinctive values of Islamic education. The continuous evolution of curriculum policy, most recently marked by Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs Number 1503 of 2025, which amends Decree Number 450 of 2024, demands that madrasah principals adopt leadership strategies that are adaptive, collaborative, and quality-oriented. This study aims to analyze the strategies employed by madrasah principals in managing curriculum, identify the leadership and organizational factors that determine implementation success, and formulate a conceptual model of curriculum management relevant to current madrasah policy developments. The study employs a qualitative approach through library research, drawing on scientific journal articles, academic books, and official policy documents issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Data were analyzed through identification, categorization, comparison, interpretation, and synthesis across more than fifteen literature sources. The findings reveal that effective principal strategies operate through an eight-stage cycle: needs diagnosis, strategy formulation, organizing, teacher capacity building, learning implementation, academic supervision, data-based evaluation, and continuous follow-up. The madrasah principal functions as a strategic boundary spanner connecting regulatory demands with the school's actual organizational capacity. These findings affirm that successful curriculum management is not primarily determined by administrative completeness but by the principal's capacity to build a learning organization, manage change, and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement. This study contributes a synthesized model integrating instructional leadership, transformational leadership, and change management within a single framework for madrasah curriculum quality control.]]>
