Research School Network: Not forgetting recommendation 3: How the school environment can influence teacher effectiveness and development This blog explores the research behind how school environments can promote or inhibit professional development.

Since its publication in 2021, the EEF’s Effective Professional Development Guidance Report has become one of the most widely referenced and used resources in the sector. I am struggling to think of a training programme or partnership that we run at Durrington that doesn’t make reference to aspects of the guidance — often more than once.

Likewise, it is increasingly common to hear school leaders and professional development leads referring to the idea of mechanisms and the importance of balanced design (recommendations 1 and 2) when constructing professional development plans. However (and I may be just as guilty myself), recommendation 3 — Implement professional development programmes with care, taking into consideration the context and needs of the school — may not always receive the same level of attention as its two preceding recommendations.

This is perhaps because recommendation 3 deals with the more abstract or hinterland ingredients required for effective professional development, rather than the more concrete elements covered in recommendations 1 and 2. However, its value should not be overlooked.

As part of our ongoing work with mid-tier organisations, I have been reflecting on one particular element of this recommendation: the role of the school environment in promoting or inhibiting professional development — specifically the referenced work of Kraft and Papay (2014), Can professional environments in schools promote teacher development?

Many of us are now familiar with the teacher effectiveness-over-time graph that shows the rapid gains in effectiveness (referred to by Kraft and Papay as ​“returns to teaching experience”) made in the early years of teachers’ careers, followed by the more modest improvements associated with further years of experience. However, the significant variation between staff development in supportive and non-supportive schools is often overlooked.

In fact, average patterns of teacher effectiveness can significantly mask the ​“heterogeneity” that exists in teacher effectiveness and development, with the study finding that some teachers improve at two to three times the rate of others. Furthermore, their improvements continue beyond the five years of experience that is normally associated with a plateau in gains.

While it will always be the case that some teachers are more effective than others, the idea that effectiveness is fixed is incorrect. Developing teacher effectiveness should be the primary focus of all school leaders. There is growing consensus amongst scholars that the school environment — and even, on a smaller scale, the teaching teams or subject departments that frame teachers’ working contexts — can contribute significantly to teachers’ ability to improve their effectiveness (Kraft and Papay, 2014; Kini and Podolsky, 2016; Mincu, 2019).

What this means for leaders is that, much like with implementation, while we can put in place the mechanisms for professional development, we must pay similar attention to the climate in which these mechanisms operate. We need to create a climate in our schools that is supportive of professional development.

The important question then becomes: what does a supportive environment look like?

The research indicates that schools which provide extensive opportunities for collaboration and common planning, and which have a shared focus and vision for student achievement and teaching, are more likely to promote greater staff development. Furthermore, teacher effectiveness appears to develop more quickly in schools where staff receive regular and meaningful feedback on their practice and are recognised for their efforts in adapting their pedagogy.

Beyond this, leadership support and a ​“safe” school environment in which staff can focus on instruction are also fundamental factors.

School leaders should therefore reflect on the mechanisms, structures and tools they have in place to construct such an environment:

1. Creating opportunities for collaboration and shared planning

Most schools probably already have phase or subject meetings as part of their regular calendar, but it is vital that the time allocated to these is ring-fenced to talk about, plan for, and rehearse upcoming teaching. When these meetings become about administrative task completion, they no longer offer the same opportunity to collaborate and learn from more effective practitioners.

Do staff have opportunities to hear from more experienced and effective colleagues about their pedagogical approaches? Can leaders create forums for effective staff to share their practice?

Do staff have opportunities to observe effective practice from other practitioners in the school? This may be challenging due to timetable constraints, but if in-person observation is not possible, can leaders curate a video bank of effective practice that staff can watch as part of ongoing training?

2. Ensuring staff receive meaningful feedback on their practice

We talk a great deal about the importance of feedback for improving student outcomes, and yet less attention is often given to its role in improving teacher performance. Leaders need to consider:

How do teachers receive feedback following formal and informal lesson observations? What medium is used? What is the balance between written and verbal feedback?

Do staff have a clear understanding of what effective practice looks like? Without this, feedback may lack clarity or direction.

How do you ensure that feedback reaches all corners of the school? Is the member of staff in the furthest corner of the top floor receiving feedback of the same quality as the person next to the head’s office?

How do we ensure consistency in the quality of feedback across all leaders? How do we ensure feedback is challenging and candid without being demoralising?

3. Ensuring staff have opportunities to reflect on their practice

Can leaders create opportunities or mechanisms that allow teachers to reflect on their practice? This may take the form of scheduled learning conversations with line managers or as part of annual reviews. It is important that staff feel safe to reflect openly and honestly on their practice.

4. Ensuring staff are recognised for their efforts

Making changes to practice is hard. It often involves changing ingrained habits, which we know are resistant to change. The initial stages of implementing a new approach can produce unforeseen challenges and, at times, even seemingly negative impacts.
Leaders need to think carefully about how they will prompt and cue new actions, such as through action planning with staff, but also how they will celebrate and recognise staff for engaging with and implementing professional development.
As with meaningful feedback, consideration should be given to the ways in which these efforts are recognised — whether through individual emails, briefing shout-outs, or items in the staff bulletin.
Professional development is built upon the mechanisms of recommendation 1, but it exists within the climate and context referred to in recommendation 3. Without a supportive environment, the mechanisms alone may be insufficient.

Ben Crockett

Co-Director, Durrington Research School

References

Kini, T., & Podolsky, A. (2016). Does Teaching Experience Increase Teacher Effectiveness? A Review of the Research (pp. 1 – 72). Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute.

Kraft, M. A., & Papay, J. P. (2014). Can professional environments in schools promote teacher development? Explaining heterogeneity in returns to teaching experience. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 36(4), 476 – 500.

Mincu, M. (2015). Teacher quality and school improvement: What is the role of research? Oxford Review of Education, 41.