School Leaders’ Conclave: Perspectives, Practices and Possibilities

School leaders are key agents in implementing educational reforms and making professional judgments for their schools, teachers, and students. With challenges ranging from implementing educational policies and curriculum reform to creating democratic and inclusive school environments, school leadership calls for continuous learning, skill upgradation, collaboration, and making room for constructive dialogue. 

The School Leaders Conclave hosted by Azim Premji University is a forum that aims to bring together school leaders from across the country to share their insights, learn from peers, and explore emerging trends with experts in the field of education. 

Through this conclave we aim to: 

  • Foster dialogue among school leaders on the implementation of policy reforms and challenges in the school system
  • Share best practices and innovative leadership strategies
  • Explore policy implications based on reflections of personal school practices

Who should join? 

  • School administrators
  • Principals and Vice-Principals
  • Head teachers
  • Members of school management
  • School coordinators
  • Teacher educators

As schools nationwide begin to respond to the aspirations outlined in the National Education Policy 2020, under this theme, we will focus on the implementation of curricular areas such as vocational education, health and wellbeing, arts education, and interdisciplinary areas. The theme invites school leaders to share experiences, challenges, and innovations in implementing these curricular areas. The discussions will help leaders explore curricular structures, strategies for implementation, collaborative efforts, and the evolving role of educators in organising meaningful learning experiences in different school contexts.

A positive school culture fosters an environment of mutual respect, trust, safety, and inclusion along with desirable dispositions and values. School culture also helps foster relationships among school members, where every member feels valued and supported. This theme focusses on the initiatives and deliberate attempts to build the culture of learning for all, a culture of trust, respect and care. Through dialogue and reflection, school leaders will explore how such cultures can be built, sustained, and transformed, especially in response to changing educational goals and societal needs.

School leaders play a pivotal role in enhancing teaching and learning practices within their schools. Strengthening teacher capacity, particularly in pedagogy and assessment, is an essential aspect of this. This can be achieved by facilitating formal learning opportunities or by establishing processes within schools to enhance teachers’ motivation and competencies. School-wide learner assessment data is an essential source for determining areas for improvement.

This theme focusses on school practices related to both assessment and teacher development. School leaders will share practices, innovations, and challenges in reimagining teacher development and assessment. The discussions aim to surface sustainable strategies for teacher development and evaluation, leading to improved academic outcomes for all students.

What will be the format of the conclave? 

  • Keynote Addresses by eminent educationists Prof. Rohit Dhankar (Founder, Digantar) and Ms. Maya Menon (Founder-Director, The Teacher Foundation), practitioners with vast experience in school leadership, will set the tone for the day’s proceedings by sharing their insights on the conclave’s themes.
  • Discussions on the three themes, facilitated by faculty from Azim Premji University, will provide school leaders with the opportunity to share their experiences and practices with peers from across the country. This will offer a rare chance for learning and reflection in an open forum.

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Registration

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Inaugural address

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Keynote address: Ms. Maya Menon, (Founder Director, The Teacher Foundation)

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Tea break

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Session 1: Thematic discussion (3 classrooms)

-NEP in action: Insights from early implementation

-Building a school culture that promotes learning for all

-Empowering teachers to improve teaching-learning

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Lunch break

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Session 2: Continuation of thematic discussion (3 classrooms)

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Session 3: Summary & reflections on the thematic discussion (Gurudutt)

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Tea break

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Keynote address: Prof Rohit Dhankar (Founder, Digantar)

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Key takeaways and closing remark

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Vote of thanks