Introduction

The previous chapters introduced key concepts and frameworks that educational leaders can apply to underpin designs and practices of impactful CPD programmes. These spanned different aspects, such as creating and sustaining conditions in LTOs that are conducive to effective and transferable teacher learning (Chapter 2), planning and implementing organisationdriven and teacher-driven teacher learning so as to achieve deep and impactful learning (Chapters 3 and 4 respectively) and evaluating the quality and impact of CPD programmes (Chapter 5).

This chapter brings together all the different concepts and zooms in on circumstances where designing, implementing and evaluating effective CPD programmes can be particularly challenging due to local circumstances.

How can CPD leaders ensure that the CPD programme actually addresses the many voices from different stakeholders, the broad range of diverse learning needs and the organisation's own priorities in a coherent and balanced way?

Balancing institutional, group and individual needs

As mentioned in Chapter 4, when there are differences between the organisations’ priorities for the CPD programme and what teachers feel they want and need to learn, it can feel like a tug of war. In other words, managers tend to adopt ‘either/or’ thinking, i.e. that either the organisation's priorities or the teachers’ priorities, but not both, can be addressed at any one time. And in these cases, it's usually the organisations’ goals that win out, leaving teachers demotivated and even resistant to the content of the CPD.