EFFECTIVE CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS - Executive Summary - Teacher CPD

Oct 20, 2026

A synthesis of research on continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers identifies six core features of effective CPD, including needs-based design, sustained and subject-specific classroom practice, collaboration to support reflective work, and use of external expertise. It explains how these features produce iterative learning that changes teaching practices, and outlines evaluation outcomes such as teacher knowledge, self-efficacy, classroom behaviour, and student attainment, while noting limits in establishing causal links.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Executive summary

Features of effective CPD for teachers

Evaluating CPD effectiveness

Indirect factors affecting CPD impact

Continuing professional development for teachers

International comparisons and policy attention

Professionalisation in the UK and other countries

International comparisons

TALIS overview

EFFECTIVE CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Claire Whitehouse In studies of education, international comparisons are a popular way of trying to identify common features of an activity that can pave the way for improvements in teaching and learning. In the field of continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers, international comparisons are, unfortunately, not very helpful in identifying the features of effective CPD for two reasons. Firstly, teacher CPD is part of the teaching and learning environment in each country and these environments can vary widely, even between countries with similar outcomes for student attainment. Secondly, governments rarely state requirements for the form and content of teacher CPD, leading to variability in the quality of provision. The net result is a blurred and incomplete picture of what effective CPD looks like. There are, however, a number of independent studies and reviews of teacher CPD from around the world which, when brought together, show surprising agreement on the features of effective CPD. The advantage of independent studies is that they tend to be well-designed and are more likely to possess statistical robustness and focus on measureable outcomes. Six features of effective CPD for teachers were identified from a sample of such studies. Effective CPD for teachers needs to: be based on the identified learning needs of both students and teachers; be sustained; be subject specific; be based in the classroom and classroom practice; be collaborative, so that reflective practice is encouraged; and, make use of external expertise. When present, these features provide the foundations for CPD that challenges teachers’ current personal teaching theories and provides opportunities for modelling and practising new teaching methods in the classroom. This leads to permanent changes in teaching practices. Such learning activities are iterative, not linear, in nature and thus require CPD that is planned over the long-term . School managements and funding agencies require that CPD be evaluated to justify decisions. There are a number of outcomes that may be used to measure the effectiveness of CPD. These include changes in: teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge; teachers’self-efficacy in teaching their subject; the frequency of specific behaviours in the classroom and in teaching and learning activities; and, students’ attainment outcomes. This last measure is probably the most important means of evaluating the effectiveness of CPD. It is, however, the most difficult in terms of demonstrating a causal link back to a particular CPD intervention. CPD that starts by identifying learners’ needs through formal and informal assessment and is based in classroom practice is most likely to demonstrate improvements in students’ attainment. Two other factors were identified that indirectly impact on the effectiveness of teacher CPD. Firstly, schools need organisational structures and managements that encourage and facilitate on-going professional learning, rather than focusing on monitoring and regulation. Secondly, an appropriate funding regime for CPD is required. There is a variety of funding policies around the world, ranging from all funding being provided by the state to most teachers being expected to self-fund, and from a needs-based approach to competitive tendering. However, there is insufficient evidence on which to make a judgement as to the type of funding that works best. Most of the studies considered here were well-funded by charitable foundations or as pilot Centre for Education Research and Policy schemes by national or local government. These sources of funding are not sustainable over the long-term . CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS Increasing attention is being paid to the professional development of teachers as they are seen as having the greatest influence on student outcomes (Barber & Mourshe

FAQs

Why do international comparisons have limited value for identifying what makes teacher CPD effective?

Because CPD sits within country-specific teaching and learning environments that vary widely, and governments often do not specify requirements for CPD form and content, creating variability in quality.

What are the six features of effective CPD for teachers?

Effective CPD is based on identified learning needs of students and teachers, is sustained, is subject-specific, is based in classroom practice, is collaborative to encourage reflective practice, and makes use of external expertise.

Which outcomes can be used to evaluate CPD effectiveness, and why is student attainment emphasized?

Evaluation can measure changes in teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge, self-efficacy, classroom behaviour frequency, and students’ attainment. Student attainment is described as the most important measure, though it is difficult to prove a causal link to a specific CPD intervention.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by Taylor Morgan