Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

How big is the "know-do" Gap in Teacher Training? To what extent do in-service teacher training programs globally incorporate design and implementation arrangements known to be associated with high quality teacher training programs? Available research indicates that teachers are arguably the most important determinant of student learning. The difference between a weak teacher and a great teacher has been measured at up to a full year of student learning. Because of the central role of teachers, massive amounts of government resources are funneled into training programs, yet there is limited knowledge of their effectiveness. Overall, evidence for the small share of programs that have been evaluated is mixed, and it is often reported that most current teacher education programs are outdated and over-theoretical. Findings suggest that some determinants of program impact on student learning include the provision of textbooks and other reading materials alongside the training, linking participation to incentives such as promotion or salary implications, and the training having a specific subject focus, among others. However, our knowledge on what actually happens within each of the large number of training programs in low- and middle-income countries still lags behind.

This paper applies a survey instrument – the In-service Teacher Training Survey Instrument (ITTSI) -- with a standard set of indicators that capture the details of in-service teacher training to a sample of in-service teacher training programs in 15 countries globally. The sample includes teacher-training programs that have been implemented in countries since 2012 and covers the overarching aspects, content, delivery and provider perceptions of in-service teacher training.  In 2016, the instrument was piloted on all teacher-training programs from low- and middle-income countries whose impact has been evaluated to date, through a series of phone interviews with program implementers, and the resulting data analyzed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. This allows us to assess the gap between what we know to be effective elements of in-service teacher training and what teacher training programs in countries are actually doing -- what we call the “know-do” gap in teacher training. This paper will utilize a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to present survey findings and discuss implications for in-service teacher training programs surveyed.