Year: 2026 | Month: April | Volume: 13 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 568-577
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20260459
Teacher Leadership and Professional Learning Practices: An Indian Perspective
Dr. Ajaypal Singh1, Dr. Poonampreet Kaur2
1Assistant Professor, Khalsa College of Education, Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar, Punjab, India.
2Assistant Professor, Khalsa College of Education, G.T. Road, Amritsar, Punjab, India.
Corresponding Author: Dr. Ajaypal Singh
ABSTRACT
Teacher leadership has increasingly emerged as a critical dimension of educational reform worldwide. In India, the evolving educational landscape under policy frameworks such as the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) emphasises teacher autonomy, professional growth, and leadership capacity as essential components of school transformation. This research paper explores teacher leadership and professional learning practices within the Indian educational context. It investigates how teachers assume leadership roles formally and informally, how professional learning communities and continuous professional development initiatives contribute to teacher agency, and what structural and cultural challenges influence implementation.
Using a qualitative research design based on policy analysis, secondary literature review, and thematic synthesis of empirical studies conducted in India, this study examines the intersection of distributed leadership, professional learning communities, and systemic reforms. The findings reveal that while policy frameworks support teacher empowerment, institutional hierarchies, workload pressures, and resource disparities limit leadership enactment. However, digital platforms, collaborative cultures in progressive schools, and teacher-led innovations provide significant opportunities.
The study concludes that teacher leadership in India is in a transitional phase, moving from bureaucratic compliance toward collaborative professionalism. Strategic investment in leadership training, structural decentralization, and equitable professional development systems can strengthen teacher leadership nationwide.
Keywords: teacher leadership, professional learning, India, distributed leadership, NEP 2020, professional development
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