AILEAD 2024: Strengthening Australia-India Leadership in Education

In a landmark initiative, the Faculty of Education co-hosted the inaugural Australia-India Leadership Roundtable (AILEAD 2024) at the Melbourne Global Centre – Delhi on November 20, 2024. This event, chaired by Dr. Donnie Adams and supported by Dr. Adam Taylor, convened 20 researchers and academics from both nations to explore the theme of Leadership for Sustainable Educational Development.

As a dynamic platform for fostering collaboration, AILEAD 2024 featured keynote presentations, roundtable discussions, and networking sessions that explored the critical challenges and opportunities in educational leadership.

Keynote Highlights

Three distinguished speakers set the stage for robust dialogue:

• Professor David Gurr (University of Melbourne) shared findings from the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP), the longest-running research initiative of its kind. His presentation underscored resilience, moral purpose, and distributed leadership, with a call to adapt ISSPP’s insights to the Indian context through joint case studies.
• Associate Professor John De Nobile (Macquarie University) introduced the Middle Leadership Roles Questionnaire (MLRQ-SE), emphasising the need to formalise and expand middle leadership roles within Indian schools.
• Dr. Donnie Adams (University of Melbourne) presented research on inclusive leadership practices from Malaysia, proposing a co-developed model for India to address challenges like resource gaps and diverse educational needs.

Collaborative Discussions

Roundtable discussions following the keynote addresses translated these ideas into actionable strategies:

• Indicators of School Leadership Success focused on balancing academic outcomes and student well-being.
• Formalising Middle Leadership Roles highlighted training and support for middle leaders in curriculum and staff development.
• Inclusive Leadership addressed resource limitations and the importance of fostering holistic inclusion for diverse learners.

Building Partnerships

A session led by journal editors, including Professors Alma Harris and Michelle Jones from School Leadership and Management (SLAM), encouraged participants to collaborate on high-impact publications. These engagements paved the way for joint research initiatives and innovative leadership training programs tailored to Indian educational contexts.

Looking Ahead

The event concluded with the announcement that Woxsen University will host AILEAD 2025, building on this year’s achievements. Future priorities include collaborative research on school leadership, workshops bridging policy and practice, and the development of leadership-focused curricula.

AILEAD 2024 exemplifies the Faculty of Education’s commitment to fostering global partnerships and advancing leadership innovation.

For more details, please contact Dr. Donnie Adams at donnie.adams@unimelb.edu.au.