By Dr. Sara L. Wicht

In 2024, I completed my doctoral research publishing a dissertation titled, “Predicting Professional Development Learning Transfer with the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Non-Exploratory Correlational Study.” This study was inspired by years working with anti-bias educators around the world. In this blog I share how my recent research revealed that the successful transfer of professional development learning to classroom practice depends heavily on school culture, particularly individual and shared beliefs about teaching and learning. I also learned, that when a school's pedagogical approach aligns with the training content, teachers are more likely to implement new strategies, but culture alone isn't enough.

The Context

K12 education aims to provide opportunities for learners to think about the world through academic content, cultural values, and ways of knowing that reflect our communities (Kober et al., 2020), yet many K12 educators feel underprepared to meet the needs of their diverse students (Gay, 2018; Gupta, 2020). The NCES reported that student demographics and cultural identities within K12 schools continue to expand to reflect the world’s cultural diversity, while K12 educator demographics in U.S.-based schools have remained racially and gender homogenous (NCES, 2022). At the same time, teacher attitudes and beliefs directly impact their interactions with students, as ideology contributes to instructional effectiveness (Civitillo et al., 2019). This research supports the attitudes of most professional educators who acknowledge that K12 teachers need ongoing professional development or PD support to build their capacity in the proficiencies, content, and behaviors necessary to continue performing their professional duties.

With that said, professional development (PD) in K12 education often faces a critical challenge: we invest significant resources in training but rarely assess its impact on actual classroom practice. Decisions about PD programming, training implementation, and methods to evaluate PD effectiveness through standardized measures are inconsistent at best (Mullen et al., 2022; O’Leary, 2022; Sims & Fletcher-Wood, 2021). As a result, a broad spectrum of pre-service teacher preparation and in-service PD models exists (Sims & Fletcher-Wood, 2021), and individual teacher preparedness can vary dramatically (Farmer, 2020; Gay, 2018; Gibbons & Farley, 2019; Simpson, 2023). On average, a K12 educator in the U.S. attends approximately 10 days of professional learning per year (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2022; Sims & Fletcher-Wood, 2021). Yet, a standardized definition of what qualifies as PD and how to measure its effectiveness does not exist (Sims & Fletcher-Wood, 2021).

While most schools track attendance or gather immediate feedback during in-person PD, few systematically evaluate whether teachers implement what they learn after their in-person experience. Instead, schools mostly request teachers self-report on self-efficacy, attitude (their own and their students), and individual student outcomes (Sims & Fletcher-Wood, 2021). We less often evaluate professional learning by considering a combination of these three factors, nor do we consider school culture or teacher autonomy when evaluating PD’s overall effectiveness.

Studying Both/And Solutions

Disconnecting teacher attitude and teacher self-efficacy from student outcomes risks ignoring how changing student demographics and static teacher demographics may intersect and influence the implementation of new pedagogies acquired during in-person PD offerings, specifically those pedagogies that aim to join academic content with the skills needed to reduce division across ethnic, racial, religious, ability, and gender differences. Teacher attitude and self-efficacy are interconnected, as are educators’ beliefs about diversity and culturally responsive teaching in practice (Civitillo et al., 2019; Kitts, 2022). This is why I set out to investigate what factors contribute to the successful transfer of professional development learning to classroom practice. While we often evaluate for self-efficacy, attitude, and student outcomes, we also need to understand what enables teachers to transfer learned skills effectively.

Using a quantitative, nonexperimental design, I surveyed K12 educators from the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States who attended in-person professional development on the social justice standards as part of a weeklong institute. The survey measured individual beliefs, school community beliefs, control beliefs, and access to resources that might influence implementation. This approach allowed me to observe how significantly these factors impact learning transfer after in-person PD.

Findings

I discovered six key factors that predict whether teachers will transfer professional development into their classroom practice. While teacher attitude, self-efficacy, and school culture matter, my research revealed these six specific factors as reliable indicators of successful implementation:

1.    Administrative Support:  Leaders who provide time, resources, and encouragement

2.    Adequate Knowledge: Deep understanding of the content and its application

3.    Necessary Materials: Ready access to required resources

4.    Support Staff: Collaborative assistance from colleagues

5.    Caregiver Involvement: Family & community engagement and support

6.    Manageable Class Size: Appropriate student-teacher ratios

These facilitating conditions create an environment where professional learning can take root and flourish. When schools address these factors systematically, they significantly increase the likelihood that professional development, especially PD focused on anti-bias education and culturally sustaining pedagogies, will impact student learning. When schools prioritize these facilitating conditions, they create pathways for sustainable implementation. Here's how:

Administrative Support in Action

Administrators can schedule support through time management, resource alignment, coaching, and personal engagement. Good leaders align resources with training initiatives. This demonstrates commitment beyond the initial investment in professional development.

Effective administrative support goes far beyond approving professional development requests. Here's what meaningful support might like in practice:  

When administrators actively support professional learning through these concrete actions, they create conditions where new practices can take root and flourish.

Adequate Knowledge Building

Professional development requires more than isolated workshops to create lasting change. Deep understanding develops through sustained, intentional learning experiences that allow us to engage with content over time. This begins with foundational training but must extend into ongoing opportunities for practice, reflection, and refinement.

Follow-up sessions create space for educators to revisit concepts, ask questions that emerge from implementation attempts, and solve problems collaboratively. Peer observations offer chances to see strategies in action, gather new ideas, and receive constructive feedback from colleagues. Regular reflection spaces, whether through professional learning communities or structured coaching conversations, help educators process their experiences and adapt strategies for their specific classroom contexts.

This layered approach to knowledge building recognizes that mastery develops gradually through cycles of learning, practice, and reflection. When we invest in sustained professional learning rather than isolated training events, we create the conditions necessary to develop genuine expertise in new practices.

Necessary Materials and Resource Management

Nothing halts implementation faster than waiting weeks for essential resources. Immediate access to necessary materials removes implementation barriers and maintains momentum for instructional change. We must ensure teachers have immediate access to necessary materials and technology.

Support Staff and Collaborative Structures

Build support networks through grade-level teams, mentoring relationships, and professional learning communities. These structures help teachers navigate challenges and share successes. Effective implementation of professional learning relies heavily on robust support networks within schools. These networks provide both formal and informal assistance as educators navigate the challenges of implementing new practices.

Grade-level teams serve as the primary collaboration unit, offering regular opportunities to plan together, solve problems, and share resources. These teams work best when given structured time to meet and clear protocols for their collaborative work. Mentoring relationships pair experienced implementers with those newer to the practice, creating opportunities for individualized support and guidance.

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) extend support beyond immediate teams, allowing educators to engage with colleagues across grade levels or content areas. These communities provide spaces for deeper discussion of implementation challenges, celebration of successes, and collective problem-solving. PLCs work most effectively when they maintain a clear focus on student learning while supporting teacher growth.

Additional support structures might include instructional coaches, technology specialists, or content experts who can provide targeted assistance when needed. The key is creating multiple layers of support that educators can access as they work to transform their practice.

Caregiver and Community Partnership

Successful implementation of new educational practices requires strong partnerships beyond school walls. When families and community members understand and support new initiatives, they become powerful allies in sustaining change.

Clear communication forms the foundation of these partnerships. Schools must explain new approaches in accessible language, sharing both the rationale behind changes and expected outcomes. This might include parent workshops, newsletters, digital updates, or family information sessions that demonstrate new practices in action.

Active participation takes partnership deeper than mere information sharing. Inviting caregivers to observe new practices, gathering their feedback, and including their perspectives in implementation decisions creates genuine engagement. Schools can provide resources and strategies for supporting new approaches at home, creating continuity between school and family environments.

We want to remember that community partnerships extend support networks further, connecting school initiatives with local organizations, businesses, and cultural institutions. These partnerships can provide additional resources, authentic learning opportunities, and a broader context for new educational approaches.

The goal is to create a supportive ecosystem where all stakeholders understand, value, and actively contribute to educational initiatives.

Class Size Considerations

While structural constraints often determine class sizes, schools can implement strategic approaches to create more manageable learning environments during new initiative implementation. Co-teaching arrangements allow educators to share instructional responsibilities, providing more individualized attention and support during preliminary implementation phases. This might involve partnering classroom teachers with specialists, combining classes for specific activities, or utilizing support staff strategically.

Flexible grouping strategies help teachers maintain instructional effectiveness even with larger classes. This includes rotating small groups, station teaching, parallel instruction, or differentiated learning spaces. Such approaches allow teachers to monitor implementation progress while meeting diverse student needs.

Alternative scheduling can also create more favorable conditions for implementation. Block scheduling, staggered instruction periods, or targeted intervention times help manage student numbers during critical learning periods. Additionally, I’ve seen the thoughtful use of physical space and creative classroom arrangement support new instructional approaches even within size constraints.

While these strategies don't reduce actual class sizes, they provide practical solutions for managing classroom dynamics during the implementation of new practices.

Conclusion

Professional development isn't a single event - it's an ongoing process of learning, implementation, and refinement. The six facilitating conditions described - administrative support, adequate knowledge, necessary materials, support staff, caregiver partnership, and manageable class size - work together to create an environment where meaningful change can take root and flourish.

However, our success requires intentional attention to each condition, recognizing that strength in one area cannot compensate for weakness in another. Schools must approach implementation holistically, building systems that support educator growth while addressing practical needs and constraints.

When we commit to creating these conditions in our schools, educators are more likely to transfer their learning from in-person PD to practice. We know that school culture and teacher autonomy contribute to the implementation of new learning, but gaps in what is transferred or fails to transfer are largely due to what happens (or fails to happen) after the in-person experience. Including these six key factors can transform professional development from isolated training events into sustainable practice change, and this investment in implementation infrastructure pays dividends in improved teaching practice and, ultimately, enhanced student learning.

Works Cited:

Civitillo, S., Juang, L. P., Badra, M., & Schachner, M. K. (2019). The interplay between culturally responsive teaching, cultural diversity beliefs, and self-reflection: A multiple case study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 77, 341-351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.11.002

Farmer, D. (2020). Teacher attrition: The impacts of stress. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 87(1), 41–50. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=146314001&authtype=sso&custid=s1229530&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s1229530

Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). Teachers College Press.

Gibbons, S., & Farley, A. N. (2019). The use of video reflection for teacher education and professional learning. Mid-Western Educational Researcher, 31(2), 263–273.

Gupta, A. (2020). Preparing teachers in a pedagogy of third space: A postcolonial approach to contextual and sustainable early childhood teacher education. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 34(1), 43–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2019.1692108

Kitts, H. (2022). Critical possibilities for teacher education. Research in Education, 112(1), 80–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/0034523720915738

Kober, N., Rentner, D. S., & Ferguson, M. (2020). History and evolution of public education in the US. Center on Education Policy. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED606970.pdf

Mullen, C. A., Fitzhugh, G., II, & Hobson, A. J. (2022). District-wide mentoring: Using Kram’s model to support educators. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 58(1), 26-31. https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2022.2005431

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2022). Public school expenditures. Annual reports and information staff (Annual Reports). https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cmb 

O'Leary, K. E. (2022). Perceptions of inconsistencies in content and delivery of professional development on the personalized learning approach: A qualitative case study (Ed.D.). Available from Dissertations & Theses @ Northcentral University. (2658833752). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/exploring-teachers-experiences-educator/docview/2658833752/se-2  

Simpson, F. S. (2023). Exploring teachers’ experiences of educator preparation programs implementing mathematical content and pedagogy: A case study Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2838623037). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/exploring-teachers-experiences-educator/docview/2838623037/se-2?accountid=25320

Sims, S., & Fletcher-Wood, H. (2021). Identifying the characteristics of effective teacher professional development: A critical review. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 32(1), 47–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2020.1772841  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Sara L. Wicht is an instructional designer and DEI strategist with 30+ years of experience developing transformative learning solutions. Her research-based approach focuses on creating culturally responsive curricula and professional development programs that drive measurable change. She helps schools and organizations through Wicht Consulting, Inc., specializing in custom curriculum development, e-learning design, IDI assessment, intercultural coaching, leadership development, and program evaluation.

Wicht’s doctoral research on professional development transfer shapes her evidence-based methodology for creating lasting impact. Their work includes co-authoring the widely adopted Social Justice Standards, leading content creation for Black History in Two Minutes teaching guides, and producing lesson plans to support the development of digital literacy, social-emotional, technology, and critical thinking skills. Wicht specializes in instructional design, professional learning facilitation, and relationship building.

Dr. Wicht lives in St. Paul, MN, where she enjoys exploring local trails and the vibrant music scene.