Leadership for professional development: supporting schools and empowering teachers to be professional development ready

In this strand of the study, we aimed to gain understanding of factors within the school environment which influence the implementation of professional development in schools and what school leaders can do to help create environments where teachers are able to engage in and implement their learning from professional development. We carried out a systematic literature review, looking at national and international literature from education and other professional contexts, using theoretical framings relating to professional development and change readiness. Through a rigorous search and analysis process, we mapped the field of professional development implementation in the school environment, looking at a range of studies across different national and school contexts and forms and content of professional development. We understood leadership in terms of role and process, rather than formal function, thereby including senior leaders, middle leaders and teachers as leaders driving and implementing professional development with and for their staff. Therefore, the review recommendations deliberately do not focus on different leader roles and hierarchies, but rather capture what the role of professional development leader at any level in the school may look like. Our findings offer insights into the body of evidence which currently exists for the leadership of professional development within the school environment, highlighting the prevalence of particular forms of research, reported outcomes and types of professional development. We identify three leadership dimensions: trusting leadership, engaged leadership and learning leadership. Through these dimensions, our findings demonstrate the complex role of school leaders in the implementation of professional development, navigating balances of formal and informal roles, direction and autonomy, and individualisation and collaboration. Using evidence from the literature we analysed, we explore how school leaders can adopt policies and practices which build a shared vision for professional development and set its direction, promote and maintain participation in professional development activities, and improve teachers’ engagement in professional development.