From Training to Mastery: Why Teacher Development Needs Cohesion, Not More Programmes

The Challenge

We know more about how to develop great teachers than at any point in history; yet globally, we are experiencing a shortage of teachers after qualification. The scale of the challenge is clear: research suggests that nearly half of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years (Center for American Progress, 2025), with shortages reported across every state and region (Learning Policy Institute, 2025). The natural instinct is to ask whether we are offering enough incentives or training enough teachers. But these questions, while valid, could miss a deeper issue: how well these systems connect to support teachers across their career? We have coaching models which are embedded into teacher training programmes and schools, mentoring programmes, professional learning communities both internally and externally and research-informed pedagogical frameworks but do these systems operate in isolation? The answer lies in cohesion. Transforming teacher development requires us to reflect on how to build robust connected systems which will effectively develop and most importantly support teachers from teacher training to their most experienced years in the classroom.

Strong Foundations: Pre-Service Training

There is so much value in how we currently prepare teachers for the classroom, and there's so much that works within our current system of training teachers in building a strong foundation for the rest of their career. Student teachers or teacher trainees engage with research that deepens their understanding of educational pedagogy and evidence-informed practice, building the foundations for their ongoing professional growth.

This is why classroom placements are so important, because they provide genuine opportunities to engage with the research that they are being exposed to and interrogating at university level. However, one of the key challenges is not the quality of the knowledge or pedagogical knowledge that teacher trainees are exposed to, it is the capacity to apply it. For instance, as a novice teacher, it is quite hard to translate research into classroom practice, and to do that whilst simultaneously learning classroom management and all the other aspects of effective teaching can be cognitively overloading.

Furthermore, much also depends on the quality of mentoring teachers receive during placements, because this is where theory meets practice. The question then becomes: how well are teachers supported in bridging that gap? How well are mentors supported in supporting teacher trainees to bridge that gap effectively?

We know that pre-service training is one essential piece of the educational ecosystem of supporting teachers, but it cannot fully carry that weight alone. We need to consider how schools build on this through sustained professional development, strong mentoring cultures, and systems that continue to support teachers well beyond their initial training.

The Early Career Bridge: Mentoring and Collaborative Learning

The transition from training into full-time teaching is one of the most critical phases in a teacher's career and often where the system fails most significantly. It is during this stage that many teachers leave the profession, highlighting the need for structured and sustained support.

Research consistently demonstrates that long-term, consistent mentoring improves teacher retention, job satisfaction, and classroom effectiveness (Learning Forward, 2026). However, the quality of mentoring is just as important as its presence. Effective mentoring requires protected time, allowing space for meaningful dialogue, reflection, and the setting of clear, actionable targets that support the development of specific pedagogical skills.

Importantly, mentoring should not be viewed as a one-directional process. When designed effectively, it becomes a collaborative partnership between novice and experienced teachers. While the mentor provides guidance, the relationship also creates opportunities for experienced practitioners to reflect on and refine their own practice. This mutual exchange strengthens professional learning across the school.

A key challenge, however, lies in creating the conditions for this to happen. University programmes often provide strong mentoring frameworks, but without schools actively protecting the time and conditions for this work, the infrastructure alone is not enough. Schools must ensure that mentors are supported in developing their own mentoring expertise particularly in areas such as giving precise feedback, setting targeted development goals, and modelling effective teaching strategies.

Alongside mentoring, professional learning communities (PLCs) and CPD programmes are proven tools for teacher development. Yet, their impact depends on thoughtful design. PLCs are most effective when they are grounded in the challenges teachers are actually facing  practicable, actionable, and relevant to their current context. These structures must feel coherent and connected, rather than isolated or additional burdens. When aligned effectively, they reinforce mentoring and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement.

When mentoring is positioned as a meaningful partnership rather than a compliance exercise, it becomes a powerful mechanism for professional growth across the whole school.

Sustained Growth: Coaching, Reflection, and Modern Competencies

Once teachers are established, there's a risk that the system's attention shifts elsewhere. At times, the investment in professional growth decreases as teachers gain experience, because sometimes we just make the assumption that because they are experienced, they should just be better. However, this overlooks the need to create the space for them to reflect on their practice meaningfully within frameworks that support and push them forward.

For instance, instructional coaching offers a structured approach to ongoing development, but it needs to be carefully designed. It should be built around cycles of learning walks, focused on key teaching pedagogies such as retrieval practice or feedback, with protected time for meaningful reflection and dialogue. The challenge is that protecting this time within the demands of a busy school environment is difficult, yet essential.

At the same time, it is clear that the demand of the modern classroom, as it continues to evolve, requires teachers to engage with cultural responsiveness, inclusive practice, and technology integration. A teacher who entered the profession 15, 20, 30 years ago is now working in a completely different landscape. So the question becomes: how do we support these educators to continue to evolve with new pedagogical ideas that are driving education?

Without sustained support to develop these evolving competencies, we risk veteran teachers becoming less effective and less engaged with innovations that could move their practice forward. The tools exist: coaching frameworks, professional development programmes, and pedagogical research but the key question is how well these are embedded into a coherent system that supports teachers to engage with them at every career stage, so that we can continuously improve student outcomes while also strengthening teachers’ own professional growth.

The Path Forward

From pre-service training to the most experienced teachers in the classroom, the challenge remains the same: connecting the tools we already have into a coherent system that supports teachers throughout their career.

The path forward requires training providers, schools, and leadership teams to work more cohesively to ensure that teaching is a profession where learning is always happening, and where opportunities to grow and reflect on our practice are not just encouraged, but embedded. This means thinking carefully about how these partners align their efforts to create a system that genuinely supports teachers at every stage.

Ultimately, our focus must be on building a profession that values sustained development, not just at the start, but throughout a teacher's career. This is a conversation I look forward to continuing at the GESS Education Conference.

As teachers, we deserve a system that intentionally develops us, just as we strive to develop our students.

By Abena Grace Appiah

References

James, W. & Shoemaker DeMio, P. (2025). How To Increase the Retention of Early Career Teachers. Center for American Progress. Available at: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/how-to-increase-the-retention-of-early-career-teachers/

Learning Policy Institute. (2025). An Overview of Teacher Shortages: 2025. Available at: https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/overview-teacher-shortages-2025-factsheet

Learning Forward. (2026). 'Better Than A Buddy System: A Framework For New Teacher Mentoring.' Available at: https://learningforward.org/journal/navigating-new-roles/better-than-a-buddy-system-a-framework-for-new-teacher-mentoring/