National Center for Teacher Professional Development, under the Teacher and School Director Professional Development Project initiated by "Millennium Challenge Account - Georgia" has launched Leadership Academy pilot trainings. The first course of Leadership Academy consists of the three modules:

• 21st Century School characteristics (Introduction);
• Effective Director: From theory to practice;
• Financial management, human resources, time management, and legal issues.

During the pilot, the local and foreign experts of the program will monitor and evaluate the module implementation process and after the completion of the pilot, the module will be adapted and trainers selected to deliver a particular module. The first module of the Leadership Academy consists of 40 contact hours.

Trainings of school directors in Tbilisi and the regions will start on August 15 and finish at the beginning of September.

Overall, the Leadership Academy three stages include up to 150 contact hours of training and non-training activities, which, after the completion of the trainings will further support the provision of formal and informal activities in schools by school directors. Within the Leadership Academy school directors will have the opportunity to participate in quarterly meetings and share with each other their achievements and challenges identified through the implementation process.

Teacher and School Director Professional Development project has been functioning since 2016 under the second $140 million Compact signed between the US government's Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Government of Georgia. The project was initiated by the "Millennium Challenge Account - Georgia" and implemented by a qualified team of education specialists and experts of the National Center for Teacher Professional Development. The technical expertise and support for the project is provided by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) Consulting Group.