The two-day "School Management and Leadership Conference" is being held for school principals within the framework of the Millennium Challenge Account - Georgia "Teachers and School Directors Professional Development Project which is implemented by the National Center for Teacher Professional Development. The aim of the conference is to share the best experience in the field of school management and professional development.

Alexander Jejelava, the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Giorgi Machabeli, Director of National Center for Teacher Professional Development, Magda Maghradze, Executive Director of Millennium Challenge Account and Elizabeth Rood, the Deputy US Ambassador addressed the participants of the conference.

More than 200 public school principals and over 50 education specialists, representatives of public, non-governmental and international organizations are participating in the conference. The event enables education experts to share the best practices of school management and professional development and discuss the current trends, achievements and challenges in the field of education management.

The participants of the School Management and Leadership Conference will discuss the following topics: The role of school director in creating a student-oriented system; The characteristics and challenges of the 21st century school; Effective and efficient management of the school; Development of school services; Introduction of innovations in schools and the importance of professional development diversity.

The participants along with the speakers invited from Britain and the United States will discuss the role of the school leader in the enhancement of teaching natural sciences, identification of priorities for school development and distribution of resources. Furthermore, public school directors invited to the conference will discuss the issues of quality management and teaching process leadership in school.

"Due to the characteristics of the 21st Century School, principals and teachers face absolutely different challenges. We are working to provide exclusive, updated knowledge to the school community. The Teachers and School Directors Professional Development Project is focused on this novelty which is appreciated by the participant teachers involved in the project. This leads to the main objective of the project - learners should feel a better environment, get better knowledge that will reflect in their future prospects," said Giorgi Machabeli, the TPDC Director.

The mission of our Foundation is to support the ongoing reforms in Georgia and implement the programs for the development of human resources in compliance with the labor market requirements. One of the most important goals of the General Education Project of the Millennium Challenge Account is to implement the 21st Century School Model. Consequently, the Leadership Academy gives us the opportunity to provide professional development for principals and facilitators in schools in order to successfully and effectively manage public schools and conduct student-oriented learning processes in line with the requirements of the 21st century”- said Magda Maghradze, the Executive Director of Millennium Challenge Account - Georgia.

"In most cases, principals focus only on the management of the processes and are less involved in improving the learning process and have no leadership skills. By provision of this project we are trying to achieve the above goals collectively– to develop not only the best administrative managers but also leaders of teaching process management from directors. As you know, most directors do not have experience in teaching. In order to manage the school, it is necessary to be familiar with the academic process, the student, the important components of the teacher's activity, "said Irina Abuladze, the Manager of the Teachers and School Directors Professional Development Project.

The “School Management and Leadership Conference” is being held within the framework of the MCC Second Compact of General Education, "Teachers and School Directors Professional Development Project". In August 2016, the Academy of Leadership was launched which offers public schools directors a long-term professional development until 2018. The first stage of the Leadership Academy has been taken by more than 1700 public school principals. In the scope of the Leadership Academy all public school directors will be retrained.