Organizational conditions for teacher professional development: School principals’ beliefs and practices

Research has increasingly indicated that school principals exercise a significant role in teacher professional development (TPD). Nevertheless, insights into the particular influence principals fulfill in this process and how this influence is exercised in practice still need to be deepened. This study focuses on what school principals consider important organizational working conditions for TPD and which leadership practices they enact for realizing these conditions in their schools. Using a multiple case study design, including 20 semi-structured interviews with primary school principals, findings show that principals consider both structural (e.g., sufficient time and evaluation of TPD-interventions) and cultural conditions (e.g., an open work climate and collaboration) to be important for TPD. Additionally, school principals emphasize the significance of a learning attitude of teachers, differentiation in professionalization efforts, and knowledge sharing within their schools. Furthermore, the results highlight that principals have trouble in realizing these organizational working conditions. Especially, the conditions necessary for internal learning activities (like an open work climate) are often perceived as difficult to accomplish. Based on the results, recommendations are given for further research and policy makers in terms of the preparation and support school principals need in order to realize (internal) TPD in their schools