Policy

Leadership Learning of Executive Heads through Continuing Professional Development and Learning (CPDL)

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Presentation at the ASCL National Conference, Birmingham  March 2020

Bringing together the experience of a multi-academy trust (The Futures Trust), a study of 13 smaller MATs and the evidence from a new analysis of research about the leadership of CPDL 

The presentation draws on:

  • The experience of a MAT leader and his senior colleagues 
  • an analysis of the leadership of learning 13 smaller MATs and similar groupings (sponsored by the ASCL-led NPQEL delivery partnership) examining how those 
  • the latest report from CUREE mapping the research evidence around the leadership of continuing professional development and learning 

 

Developing Great Leadership of Continuing Professional Development and Learning

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This is a map of evidence from high quality research reviews (including Best Evidence Syntheses) about Continuing Professional Development and Learning (CPDL). Building on earlier work, its focus on leadership is new and important and designed to provide school leaders facing unprecedented challenges with an overview of evidence about CPDL, a particularly powerful improvement tool in their armoury.

A team of experienced researchers and research reviewers (Professors Steve Higgins, Toby Greany, Rob Coe led by Professor Philippa Cordingley) set out to update their 2015 review (Developing Great Teaching) and connect the evidence about CPD and its leadership. The new map of the evidence shows this field is moving forwards - away from an exclusive focus what CPD facilitators do, and towards a focus on what’s involved in teachers’ active professional learning as they integrate new knowledge, skills and ideas with existing practices.

Two versions of the report are available for download from here:

The New CPD Standard – What does it really mean for practice?

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On the 3rd of October, 2016, CUREE helped to host a seminar with the members of the Expert Panel who authored the new standard for teachers’ professional development (published July 2016) to explore how to put them to work for school improvement. This important seminar marked the start of an ongoing campaign to ensure the standards are widely understood, used and exemplified and to help to build a shared understanding of what quality in implementation looks like. 

Hosted at the prestigious RSA headquarters the seminar focusd on:

Forging strong links with Continuing Professional Development and Learning (CPDL) as part of school improvement - the standard positions CPDL as a key driver of school improvement. This matters for every leader of school improvement and especially for the Teaching Schools Council and their Regional leads and those who have budgets and a new and stronger remit for school improvement. The seminar explored the links between the CPDL and this all important work

Developing Great Teaching - A review of the evidence about Continuing Professional Development and Learning

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http://tdtrust.org/about/dgt/
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Developing Great Teaching - Lessons from international reviews of effective professional development

Launched at a prestigious gathering at the House of Commons on 9th June, this report outlnes the findings from a recent systematic review of the international research literature examining the evidence of what makes effective teachers' professional development and learning. This 'umbrella' review builds on but substantially updates the findings of several earlier Reviews many of which were undertaken by CUREE. This recent review is the product of a team from CUREE, Durham University and UCL Institute of Education . It was supported by the Teachers Development Trust and TES Global.

The key finding of the Review was that carefully designed CPDL for teachers with a strong focus on pupil outcomes has a significant impact on pupil achievement.

The work is presented in three ways, each of which is downloadable from this page:

Leadership Methodologies Compared

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One of  the- some would say the one - key pre-occupations of leadership is the future. And the trouble with the future is that it hasn't happened yet - so there are many techniques for attempting to organise thinking around shaping the future. This simple table compares the key features of three different currently popular approaches or methodologies.

CUREE's Local Leadership of Education and Training project for the Education and Training Foundation included some experimental testing of these three approaches which you can also download from here

If you are interested in CUREE's Leadership Development Work, you'll find more about it here or contact Niamn Mc Mahon to discuss your situation

The challenge of maths and English teaching in the Further Education and Skills Sector in England

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coverCUREE was commissioned by the Education & Training Foundation to research the key issues in the teaching of maths and English in the sector. Conducted very rapidly and in partnership with EmCETT we interviewed policy makers and experts, reviewed the international research evidence and consulted leaders and practitioners across the sector. We think the report provides a fascinating window into how maths and English teachers and their leaders are thinking about the new level 2 challenges. The full report is published here now and will also be available on the Foundation website shortly.

How do different countries construct teachers' professional identities?

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researchED Blackpool 2019

This presentation, made by Philippa Cordingley to the 2019 researchEd conference at St  Mary's Catholic Academy in Blackpool, looks at evidence collected from 7 countries across the globe.

It draws on a report of research undertaken by CUREE and commissioned by Education International. The full report can be downloaded from here

Possibility Thinking: Reimagining the Future of Further Education and Skills

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These essays are deliberately optimistic and each responds to a ‘what if’ question, with authors being invited to respond with deliberate idealism about the future possibilities. The collection has not been designed with the intention of providing a single narrative, but rather to open up new trains of thought, to offer provocations and challenges, and it covers divergent themes and ideas. We have focused on what the sector can do for itself, mindful of the policy context, but occasionally identifying ways that policy might enable, rather than constrain, sectoral innovation and public value

About the authors 2

Acknowledgements 4

Foreword - Dame Ruth Silver 5

Introduction - What if the further education and skills sector got a little more optimistic? - Mark Londesborough 7