Research overview on teachers' CPD

The GTC and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) jointly commissioned a study to bring together the key messages from a range of recent research and evaluation projects on teachers' continuing professional development. Both organisations believe that teachers' professional learning is central to the quality of pupils' learning and achievements (01 July 2006).

The purpose of the study was to assess the strength of the accumulated evidence and to distil the key messages for creating and sustaining the right environment for teachers' development and growth.

The GTC and ATL are delighted to publish this report, the fruit of considerable effort by the research consultants, supported by an advisory group - which included colleagues from the DfES, the NCSL and the TDA - and by academics who contributed their expertise to a validation workshop.

The GTC and ATL will be drawing on this superb source of evidence and issues in various ways over the coming months as we make our respective inputs to national agenda and priority setting, and refine our own strategies at national, regional and local levels.

The report is now available in downloadable PDF format.

Commenting on the report, GTC Director of Policy Sarah Stephens said:

The findings from this synthesis of all the recent research and evaluation on CPD are vital.  They provide the profession and policy makers nationally with the route map for professional development policy and strategy. This is a thorough and comprehensive review and analysis on which GTC and its partners can rely as we advance the case for an entitlement to and participation in effective professional learning and development for all teachers. There is no doubt that teacher learning when well-designed supports school improvement and impacts positively on pupil learning, motivation and achievement.  The GTC will use these findings to continue to promote the power of CPD, advocate for national policy action and extend the Teacher Learning Academy.

Martin Johnson, ATL's Head of Education Policy, said:

This research backs up the work we are doing in the Social Partnership to ensure effective continuous professional development (CPD) becomes an everyday part of teachers' working lives. ATL will use this evidence to urge schools to make the changes they need to make for effective CPD to become a reality.