Page 7 - National Seminar on Quality Improvement in School February 27-28, 2020

on teacher behaviour and classroom practices (Witziers, Bosker&Krüger, 2003). Hallinger’s (2010) review of
30 years of empirical research on school leadership points in particular to the indirect or mediated positive
effects which leaders can have on student achievement through the building of collaborative organizational
learning, structures and cultures, development of staff and community leadership capacities to promote teaching
and learning and create a positive school climate. Research evidence also suggests that successful leaders have
been instrumental in fostering social outcomes among children (which includes positive values like integrity,
compassion and fairness), love of lifelong learning, fostering citizenship and personal, economic and social
capabilities (Putnam, 2002; Day &Leithwood, 2007; Mulford&Silins, 2011; Ishimaru, 2013).

Indeed, various research studies on school effectiveness have drawn attention to the importance of school
leadership as a key characteristic of effective schools. Research in the area of school improvement has highlighted
the role of head teachers/principals role in the turnaround of in-effective schools as well as its importance for
schools in disadvantaged context. (Heneveld& Craig (1996); Scheerens (2000).Principals are projected as the
cause of effective schools without highlighting aspects of causal inference. This implies that there is a need to
assess both the direct and indirect effects of principal’s instructional leadership on developing effective schools
and in improving student achievement while accounting for variations in the school context and in selected
personal characteristics of principals (Leithwood et al., 1990). There is a need also to analyze the nature of
principal effects on improving the school climate and the subsequent improvement in learning outcomes of
students. The conference deliberations will highlight some of these issues on the effect of school leaders as
individuals to transform institutions leading to improvement in student learning.

School Leadership in India: Challenges and Issues

The context of schooling in India is so varied marked by social and geographical diversity, diversity in school
managements, school size, and diversity within schools and classrooms. Schools across the states have wide
contextual variations which are ecological, cultural and socio-economical by nature. Schools are different by
virtue of being located in remote and hilly areas, conflict prone areas, near international borders, in flood and
drought regions, islands, near coal mines, in historically backward areas-either rural or urban or semi-urban
townships or in inaccessible regions of north-east India. Schools also come under various managements for
example, schools run by State Departments of Education, Government supported grant–in- aid schools, local
body managed schools and schools managed by Tribal/Social Welfare Department and the like. Diversity also
comes from schools in various sizes which include small schools, large schools, single teacher schools, two
teacher schools etc. Schools mirror the political, social, economic and cultural aspects of the society in which
it exists and functions. It is important therefore to celebrate school leadership and recognize the efforts of the
school leaders to transform their schools into learning organizations. Secondly there is a crucial need to generate,
document and share evidences in the form of case studies and video documentaries that articulate the roles and
functions of the school head, the multiple challenges that they face that are unique to the school and the school
context, as well as the specific challenges they face in improving learning among children. This would enable
arriving at policy decisions and generating need based professional development programmes for the school
heads so as to empower them to transform their schools into centers of learning.
The Conference

It is against this background the National Conference organized by the National Centre for School Leadership
(NCSL), NIEPA, seeks to discuss and deliberate on the theme ‘Leadership for Quality Improvement in Schools’.
The conference will be held on February 27th-28th, 2020 at Tamarind Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

The Objectives of the Conference are

a. To understand the impact of school leadership on quality improvement in schools
b. To share and discuss leadership practices and innovations to improve student learning

2 NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LEADERSHIP FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN SCHOOLS