EFFECTIVE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM: A STUDY OF PRACTITIONERS’ PERCEPTIONS IN INDIAN CONTEXT

This study on leadership development among school heads in government and aided schools of India investigated the significance of a school leadership development program for the school heads of Odisha and Karnataka as perceived by a specific group of state level practitioners called the State Resource Group (SRG). The school leadership program is a policy initiative funded by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, India and formulated under the National Centre for School Leadership at the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, India. The sample of the study consists of 50 State Resource Group members from Karnataka and Odisha states. Interviews and focus group discussions have been used to collect data for this qualitative study. By highlighting the sample groups’ perceptions of challenges of the school heads, lacunae in existing professional development programs and how these lacunae can be addressed, this study would help in addressing key issues and challenges in implementing the school leadership program. Based on the perceptions of the SRG members, the study found that the main challenges faced by school heads included the inability to collaborate and work as a team, inadequate interpersonal skills, lack of content knowledge, political interference in running of the school and inability to deal with context specific challenges. Based on the findings the study identified thrust areas that would inform the curriculum of NCSL school leadership development to help the school heads deal with these challenges