School education in India is often associated with poor quality and inequity. Providing inclusive, equitable, and high-quality education to millions of children in India constitutes a societal grand challenge. In this introduction, we briefly outline the background of this issue and highlight some key tensions within the Indian school system, including differing visions of education, the role of teachers, and the medium of instruction. Additionally, we provide an overview of the contributions in this volume from field researchers, practitioners, and educators. The social innovations curated here offer valuable insights for teaching and research in the context of school education. Moreover, these insights aim to foster dialogue among stakeholders—including educators, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers—to collaboratively address the grand challenge of school education in India. While the focus here is India, insights from this context may also inform initiatives in other locations particularly in the Global South.