What Actually Works in Teacher Development

About this episode

This episode explores the effectiveness of teacher professional development in England and offers practical steps for school leaders to improve it.

England spends £1 billion a year on teacher professional development, yet a poll of school leaders found that just 1% said it led to lasting change in practice. This episode examines why that gap exists, drawing on a landmark 2025 report from the Teacher Development Trust, which surveyed over a thousand teachers and leaders across England. The findings are stark, but the patterns, as Shane argues, are universal and if you lead a school anywhere in the world, the problems will feel familiar.   You'll learn about the significant perception gap between what leaders think CPD achieves and what teachers actually experience, why the formats schools rely on most (workshops, online modules) are the least effective, and what the evidence actually points to instead. Shane shares five practical steps leaders can take right now, from closing the feedback gap with staff to investing in coaching and peer observation. Perhaps most urgently, the data shows a direct link between poor professional development and teacher retention and what kind of CPD would genuinely make teachers more likely to stay.   Resources & Links Mentioned: Education Leaders Intensive Episode Partners…

People in this episode

Host: Shane Leaning

Topics covered

• teacher development
• professional development
• school leadership
• teacher retention
• feedback
• coaching

Keywords

• teacher development
• CPD
• school leadership
• teacher retention
• feedback gap
• coaching
• peer observation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Teacher Development Trust

Books & works: Change Starts Here

Places: England, Shanghai

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