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India's National Education Policy 2020 in Classrooms: Teachers Shaping Practice and System Change. Invisible Pedagogical Mindsets in India: How Culture, Education Ecosystems, and Beliefs about Teaching and Learning Shape Education Reform

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Title: India's National Education Policy 2020 in Classrooms: Teachers Shaping Practice and System Change. Invisible Pedagogical Mindsets in India: How Culture, Education Ecosystems, and Beliefs about Teaching and Learning Shape Education Reform
Language: English
Authors: Sreehari Ravindranath, Joseph Thomas Rijo, Sudeshna Roychoudhury, Apoorva Bhatnagar, Amit V. Kumar, Rachel Dyl, Ghulam Omar Qargha, Brookings Institution, Center for Universal Education
Source: Center for Universal Education at The Brookings Institution. 2026.
Availability: Center for Universal Education at The Brookings Institution. 1775 Massachusettes Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-797-6048; Fax: 202-797-2970; e-mail: cue@brookings.edu; Web site: http://www.brookings.edu/about/centers/universal-education
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 54
Publication Date: 2026
Sponsoring Agency: LEGO Foundation
Intended Audience: Policymakers
Document Type: Reports - Research
Tests/Questionnaires
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Educational Policy, Public Policy, Educational Practices, Educational Change, Program Implementation, Holistic Approach, Inclusion, Experiential Learning, Teacher Participation, Transformative Learning, Cultural Influences, Teacher Role, Barriers
Geographic Terms: India
Abstract: In many post-colonial contexts, education reforms fail to change pedagogical practices in classrooms not merely due to technical limitations but because they clash with teachers' embedded worldviews and existing education ecosystems. In India, indigenous pedagogical knowledge is often discarded in favor of externally constructed pedagogical approaches without sufficient adaptation to local realities. Grounded in these insights, this study examined how Invisible Pedagogical Mindsets (IPMs)--the interplay of culture, local education ecosystems, and preferred learning theories--shape the conceptualization and implementation of education reform under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in India. The study was part of the Strengthening Pedagogical Approaches for Relevant Knowledge and Skills (SPARKS) project, implemented by the Brookings Institution and Dream a Dream in India. The study's findings highlight the realities faced by teachers in Uttarakhand, Telangana, Jharkhand, and Goa and show how the IPMs affect the implementation of the NEP 2020's goals. A local Research Policy Collaborative (RPC) was formed to involve various education ecosystem actors in the research process. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with 52 teachers from the four states, semi-structured interviews with five teacher educators from Jharkhand, three focus group discussions with small groups of teachers from Jharkhand and Goa, and semi-structured interviews with 5 policy actors. The findings of the SPARKS India study demonstrate that the shift to holistic, inclusive, and experiential learning imagined by NEP 2020 can only be realized when reform efforts engage with teachers' lived realities, emotional investments, and professional expertise. Meaningful and sustainable education reform begins with teachers and requires policies to take into consideration the interaction of culture, the education ecosystem, and learning theories. Without attending to IPMs, reform efforts risk being top-down, fragmented, and disconnected from classroom practice. [This report was created in collaboration with Dream a Dream.]
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED678457
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Center for Universal Education at The Brookings Institution. 1775 Massachusettes Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-797-6048; Fax: 202-797-2970; e-mail: cue@brookings.edu; Web site: http://www.brookings.edu/about/centers/universal-education
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  Data: In many post-colonial contexts, education reforms fail to change pedagogical practices in classrooms not merely due to technical limitations but because they clash with teachers' embedded worldviews and existing education ecosystems. In India, indigenous pedagogical knowledge is often discarded in favor of externally constructed pedagogical approaches without sufficient adaptation to local realities. Grounded in these insights, this study examined how Invisible Pedagogical Mindsets (IPMs)--the interplay of culture, local education ecosystems, and preferred learning theories--shape the conceptualization and implementation of education reform under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in India. The study was part of the Strengthening Pedagogical Approaches for Relevant Knowledge and Skills (SPARKS) project, implemented by the Brookings Institution and Dream a Dream in India. The study's findings highlight the realities faced by teachers in Uttarakhand, Telangana, Jharkhand, and Goa and show how the IPMs affect the implementation of the NEP 2020's goals. A local Research Policy Collaborative (RPC) was formed to involve various education ecosystem actors in the research process. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with 52 teachers from the four states, semi-structured interviews with five teacher educators from Jharkhand, three focus group discussions with small groups of teachers from Jharkhand and Goa, and semi-structured interviews with 5 policy actors. The findings of the SPARKS India study demonstrate that the shift to holistic, inclusive, and experiential learning imagined by NEP 2020 can only be realized when reform efforts engage with teachers' lived realities, emotional investments, and professional expertise. Meaningful and sustainable education reform begins with teachers and requires policies to take into consideration the interaction of culture, the education ecosystem, and learning theories. Without attending to IPMs, reform efforts risk being top-down, fragmented, and disconnected from classroom practice. [This report was created in collaboration with Dream a Dream.]
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 54
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Policy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public Policy
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      – SubjectFull: Educational Practices
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      – SubjectFull: Educational Change
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      – SubjectFull: Program Implementation
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      – SubjectFull: Holistic Approach
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      – SubjectFull: Inclusion
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      – SubjectFull: Experiential Learning
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      – SubjectFull: Teacher Participation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Transformative Learning
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      – SubjectFull: Cultural Influences
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      – SubjectFull: Teacher Role
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      – SubjectFull: Barriers
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      – SubjectFull: India
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      – TitleFull: India's National Education Policy 2020 in Classrooms: Teachers Shaping Practice and System Change. Invisible Pedagogical Mindsets in India: How Culture, Education Ecosystems, and Beliefs about Teaching and Learning Shape Education Reform
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