# Center for Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Grounded in Chinese Practice, Addressing Global Challenges

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# Center for Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Grounded in Chinese Practice, Addressing Global Challenges

*2026-01-02**Views：325*

### I. Center Overview

Against the backdrop of China’s strategic goal of
building a strong education system and modernizing its education governance
framework, the Center for Educational
Leadership and Policy Studies at the School of Education,
Shanghai Jiao Tong University was formally established in late 2021. Since its
inception, the Center has been guided by the mission of *“grounding research
in Chinese practice while addressing global challenges.”* It focuses on two
core domains—educational leadership and education policy—and
is committed to developing a high-level think tank that combines academic
rigor, policy relevance, and social responsibility.

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The Center currently comprises a faculty team of
five members, including one professor, three associate professors, and one
lecturer. The team represents an interdisciplinary, diverse, and
internationally oriented research community. With academic backgrounds spanning
education, economics, and related disciplines, Center faculty are actively
engaged with international organizations such as UNESCO and OECD, as well as leading domestic
education research platforms. Positioned at the intersection of global
education governance and local education reform, the Center produces policy
research that is both original and practically impactful.

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The research agenda of the Center spans all levels
of education, from basic education to higher education. Key areas of focus
include science and technology innovation and higher education policy; the
cultivation of top innovative talents; students’ core competencies and
social-emotional skills; artificial intelligence and future education;
equitable and high-quality development of basic education; and teacher
professional development and digital leadership. Through an integrated model of academic research, policy
consultation, and talent development, the Center advances
theoretical innovation while contributing to the modernization of education
governance systems and capacities.

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Since its establishment, Center faculty have played
an active role in national and local education strategy research, undertaking
more than ten national- and provincial-level projects, including Major Projects
of the National Social Science Fund of China, grants from the National Natural
Science Foundation of China, and key research projects commissioned by the
Ministry of Education. As a key pillar of education research within the School,
the Center is characterized by its integrated *“research–service–application”* approach and is dedicated to becoming a nationally recognized and internationally
influential hub for research on education policy and leadership.

### II. Faculty Team

**Research
Innovation and Think Tank Engagement**

Since its establishment, Center faculty have served
as principal investigators on multiple national-level research projects,
including the Major Project of the
National Social Science Fund of China, *Management and
Collaborative Effectiveness of University Science and Technology Innovation
Teams*; projects funded by the National
Natural Science Foundation of China such as *Assessment and
Intervention of Scientific Inquiry Skills Driven by Complex Tasks* and *Mechanisms
and Enhancement Strategies for Social Reputation Formation in Research
Universities*; as well as education-focused grants from the National Social Science Fund of China,
including *Data-Driven Diagnostic Assessment and Cross-Context Enhancement
of Teachers’ Digital Teaching Competencies* and *Monitoring Policy
Implementation and Evaluating the Effects of the “Strong Foundation Program”*.
In addition, Center faculty have undertaken more than ten key projects
commissioned by the Ministry of Education and the Shanghai Municipal Education
Commission.

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Research findings have been published in leading
Chinese and international journals, including *Educational Research*, *Educational
Development Research*, *Studies in Science of Science*, *China
Higher Education Research*, *Journal of the National Academy of
Education Administration*, *Comparative Education Review (China)*, *Modern
Distance Education Research*, *International Journal of Educational
Development*, *Asia Pacific Education Review*, and *The
Asia-Pacific Education Researcher*. Selected works have been reprinted in *Xinhua
Digest* and the Renmin University of China Reprints of Press Materials (*Higher
Education*), providing solid evidence to support education policy
formulation.

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In particular, Associate Professor CUI
Haili authored the monograph *Evaluating the Effectiveness
of Selecting and Cultivating Top Talents in Foundational Disciplines: Evidence
from China’s “Strong Foundation Program”* (East China Normal University
Press, 2024), which received the Gold
Award of the 15th Qian Xuesen City Award (Tianyuan Education). Dr. XIONG Ziyin published the English-language
monograph *Benchmarking the Performance of Education Systems* (OECD
Publishing, 2021), which examines the underlying mechanisms of high-performing
education systems worldwide, including China, and provides evidence-based
insights for international education discourse. Associate Professor LIU Yan authored *From Persistence to Excellence:
Rethinking Learning Grit in the Intelligent Age* (East China Normal
University Press, 2023), exploring the internal and external drivers of learner
engagement in the era of intelligent technologies and offering theoretical
foundations for instructional design in digitally mediated learning environments.

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The Center actively undertakes
government-commissioned research and policy advisory projects. Faculty members
have submitted multiple policy reports to agencies such as the Ministry of Education and the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission,
some of which have been adopted or circulated as internal policy briefs. These
contributions provide intellectual support for education digital
transformation, innovative talent cultivation, and the modernization of
education governance.

### IV. Signature Programs | Rooted at SJTU, Connected to the World

Since its establishment, the Center has actively
developed a portfolio of high-impact academic and policy-oriented programs,
forming a set of recognizable signature activities.

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**(1) Forum on
Frontiers of Educational Leadership and Policy**

This forum brings together leading scholars and experts from China and abroad
to examine education policy, educational leadership, and policy innovation in
the era of big data and digital transformation.

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**(2) Lecture
Series on Education and Global Development**

Centered on the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), this lecture series
invites experts from international organizations such as UNESCO and OECD to share cutting-edge
perspectives on global education policy and cross-national practices.

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Center faculty maintain strong engagement with
international organizations and global academic networks. LIU Huacong and XIONG Ziyin bring extensive
experience working with international organizations. Dr. Liu served as a
consultant to UNESCO Institute for
Lifelong Learning (UIL), contributing Chinese perspectives to
global comparative research on teacher education. Dr. Xiong currently serves as
a UNESCO Junior Professional Officer,
where she is responsible for knowledge management for the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (SDG 4-GCM) and supports system-wide consultations on the *post-2030 education agenda* across the United Nations system. In addition, Center faculty have conducted
academic visits and collaborative research in countries including the United
States, France, and Germany. In 2024, Professor ZHAO Wenhua represented
Shanghai Jiao Tong University as a keynote speaker at the China–France Forum on Education Development,
co-hosted by the Ministry of Education of China and the French Ministry of
Higher Education and Research in Paris.

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The Center actively collaborates with the School of
Education and partner primary and secondary schools in Shanghai, as well as
schools involved in county-level trusteeship and support programs. Through
joint initiatives in teacher training, principal development, and school
improvement, the Center has gradually established an integrated service model
that combines research, policy
consultation, and professional training, providing effective
support for education reform and innovation in practice.

### V. Future Vision | Building an Intellectual Hub for a Strong Education System

Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the Center for Educational
Leadership and Policy Studies will continue to uphold the principles of *research-led
inquiry, decision-oriented service, and integrated innovation*. The Center
is committed to developing a nationally
leading and internationally influential platform for research
on educational leadership and education policy.

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We will:

l Advance academic leadership by producing
high-quality research outputs, developing original theoretical contributions,
and building research programs with international visibility and impact;

l Serve policy development by aligning closely
with national priorities—including building a strong education system, STEM
education, artificial intelligence, and education governance—while actively
engaging in policy research and think tank consulting to support evidence-based
decision-making at both national and local levels;

l Drive research excellence by expanding
high-level research projects, cultivating academic teams with strategic vision
and global perspectives, and continuously advancing innovation in educational
leadership and policy research;

l Strengthen talent development by building a
high-standard, internationally oriented, and human-centered graduate training
system, supporting the growth of early-career scholars into future education
leaders who combine academic rigor with a strong sense of social
responsibility;

l Deepen international
collaboration by strengthening partnerships with international organizations such as UNESCO and OECD.

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Over the next five years, grounded at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and
oriented toward the world, the Center will remain focused on national
strategies and the frontiers of education. Through research-informed
scholarship and intellectually engaged talent development, we strive to become a key engine of innovation in education governance
and a leading intellectual hub in the construction of a strong education system.

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Contributed by LIU Huacong

Proofread by WANG Rui

Edited by CHEN Ruoxi

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