Every school system invests time, effort, and funding in teacher professional learning because it is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen instruction and improve student outcomes. Unfortunately, teachers too often leave professional learning sessions feeling that the content did not directly connect to their classroom needs or answer their lingering questions. They may see PD more as compliance with a requirement rather than as a resource for growth, making it less likely for them to commit to applying what they have learned once they return to their classrooms.
Research echoes this, as teachers are more likely than other professionals to engage in professional learning (OECD, 2025), and districts devote considerable financial resources to this activity, spending an average of more than $8,300 per teacher, amounting to billions of dollars each year (Boguslav et al., 2025). Still, according to the latest Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the largest international survey of teachers and principals, only about one in two teachers feel their learning makes a difference in their teaching (OECD, 2025). This data mirrors what we at the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) hear from educators across the country: Teachers are eager to learn, but not all professional learning feels relevant or practical enough to improve their daily instruction.
At NIET, we design and provide teacher professional learning that is meaningful, relevant, and impactful. Informed by research and 25 years of experience working directly with teachers and school administrators, our approach centers on research-based strategies—collaborative learning and individualized coaching that focuses on teachers’ needs. To see whether these strategies make a difference in teachers’ experience of professional learning, we surveyed and analyzed responses from 1,400 teachers across eight states who had participated in any form of professional learning in the past year. Our goal was to understand which PD approaches are effective and sustainable in shaping teachers’ experiences and encouraging classroom applications. We also wanted to use our results to develop practical insights that policymakers and education leaders could use to make professional learning more meaningful for teachers.
What Actually Helps Teachers Grow?
Professional learning should provide opportunities for teachers to enhance their content knowledge and improve their instructional strategies. It should not be a one-and-done event; it should be a continuous process that helps teachers reflect on their practice and refine instruction to meet evolving classroom needs.
When evaluations and professional learning address the same growth areas, teachers see a clear connection between feedback, support, and daily instructional practice.
What we have seen in the field—and what research confirms—is that professional learning works best when it is part of a coherent system. This system comprises (1) observations where teachers’ learning needs are identified, (2) professional learning designed to meet those needs, and (3) one-on-one classroom support that helps ensure successful application of the learning (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Hill & Papay, 2022).
Three Steps to Effective, Integrated PD
What can schools do to create high teacher satisfaction with professional learning? How can leaders ensure teachers carry what they learn into their classrooms? Here are three practical steps to start.
1. Invest in teacher leaders.
Despite knowing what works with PD, building this type of coherent professional learning system that integrates feedback and peer-to-peer support is no easy task. It takes people with strong instructional expertise who can connect the dots between evaluation, professional learning, and classroom support. NIET’s experience working with schools across the country shows that teacher leaders can be powerful agents of change for creating a coherent system. Investing in teacher leaders and providing them with the right support gives schools the capacity to create a coherent system to sustain professional growth.
In the schools we work with, we identify teachers with deep instructional skills who are ready to take on new roles and grow into teacher leaders. These teacher leaders not only teach but also conduct evaluations, deliver professional learning, and coach their peers in the classroom. They use classroom observation data to identify teachers’ strengths and areas for growth, and design professional learning that directly addresses those needs. After each professional learning session, they provide one-on-one in-classroom support to help teachers implement new strategies in ways that fit their unique classroom context.
We also guide these teacher leaders as they plan and deliver professional learning using a unique protocol—NIET’s Five Steps for Effective Learning—to maximize the impact on teaching and learning (Barnett, 2024). The five steps are (1) identifying the need, (2) obtaining new strategies to address those needs, (3) developing those strategies during professional learning, (4) applying them in the classroom, and (5) evaluating their impact on student outcomes. This protocol turns professional learning into transferable, actionable elements. It builds in time for teachers to tailor the new learning to their own classroom and implement it to see how it works. Teachers bring student work to the next professional learning session, allowing them to see the impact of the new strategies on their own students. This cycle keeps the learning relevant and grounded in local classroom experience, making the professional learning meaningful, actionable, and directly connected to the students they teach.
2. Connect professional learning with evaluation.
Effective professional learning starts with understanding teachers’ learning needs. Schools should use insights from teacher evaluations to identify professional learning topics and activities that directly respond to areas where teachers want and need support. This approach ensures that professional learning is relevant, timely, and applicable. When evaluations highlight specific areas of growth and the professional learning addresses those same areas, teachers see a clear connection between feedback, support, and daily instructional practice.
For example, if classroom observations show that teachers struggle to present instructional content clearly, professional learning can focus on strategies for explaining concepts, modeling examples, and checking for understanding. This alignment ensures that teachers receive support based on an evaluation-identified need, helping them connect it to their daily practice and grow professionally. In this way, evaluation, classroom practice, and professional learning row in the same direction rather than operating as separate systems, resulting in higher engagement, greater satisfaction, and more classroom application (Özdemir, 2020).
Analysis of NIET survey data shows that when the feedback that teachers receive from an evaluation is clearly connected to their professional learning, 84 percent of teachers reported being satisfied, and 81 percent said they frequently applied what they learned. But when the two were not connected, satisfaction fell to 38 percent, and only 33 percent reported using the learning in their classrooms.
3. Follow up professional learning with one-on-one support.
Every classroom is different, and teachers often need additional guidance and follow-up to apply new learning in their own contexts. Tailored one-on-one support helps teachers turn professional learning into meaningful impact in their classrooms. This support might include co-planning a lesson, modeling a strategy during instruction, observing and offering feedback, or analyzing student work together to refine implementation. Such support also reinforces successes, strengthens individual practices, and fosters a collaborative culture across the school. Schools can make this support sustainable by elevating teachers into leadership positions, leveraging their instructional skills and experience to guide and coach colleagues (Van Hook et al., 2025).
Research also tells us that teachers grow most when supported by more experienced peers who model effective strategies, share practical ideas, and give specific feedback on student work and teaching practices (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Kraft et al., 2018). This type of professional learning resonates more when it feels personal and supportive—when someone who is a peer understands a teacher’s classroom, students, and goals, and takes the time to help turn that new learning into practice.
When professional learning included regular, tailored one-to-one support in the classroom from peers, our survey data shows that 90 percent of teachers reported being satisfied, and 89 percent said they frequently applied what they learned. But when that support was missing, satisfaction fell to 47 percent, and only 43 percent reported they applied what they learned.
Creating a Coherent System
When schools take these three steps, professional learning becomes a powerful driver for teacher growth, leading to increased opportunities for students. Most importantly, evidence consistently indicates that such applied learning can lead to lasting gains in students’ academic and social outcomes, with an incredible return on investment of 14 to 1 (Cohodes et al., 2023).
Across NIET’s partner schools, we have experienced that when professional learning targets teachers’ needs as identified in their evaluations and is applied and reinforced through regular classroom support, it can lead to exponentially greater satisfaction and better application of learning in the classroom. When professional learning is more personalized, coherent, and supportive, it becomes effective and sustainable for both teachers and students and increases the return on investment for schools.
