Teacher leadership in school self-evaluation: an approach to professional development

The importance of school self-evaluation (SSE) as a school improvement mechanism has been acknowledged by increases in the number of countries with legal requirements for schools to conduct self-evaluation. Despite the provision of a range of support to schools to encourage their engagement with SSE, many implementation challenges have been highlighted in research from various jurisdictions, where SSE has been introduced. The provision of professional development (PD) to schools is a common response to such challenges, yet there is a dearth of research into the models of PD that might best support schools to apply the learning and address the common implementation issues that have been identified in the literature. This action research study explored a PD intervention for teachers leading SSE in Irish post-primary schools. The findings explored the experiences and perceptions of staff from 15 of the schools involved, and in particular focused on the features of the intervention that supported participants to apply the learning, by leading the SSE process in their respective schools. The findings indicate that this model of PD for teachers leading SSE may offer some useful solutions to the ongoing challenges experienced by schools in relation to SSE.