Strategy for Evidence-informed Decision Making, Policy and Practice 2024-2026

Introduction

The Teaching Council is the regulator of the teaching profession in Ireland. Our role is to protect the public by promoting and regulating professional standards in teaching.

We fulfill that role by carrying out functions as follows:

• Maintaining a register of qualified and vetted teachers in Ireland. This ensures that teachers meet the necessary qualification, standards, competencies, and character requirements for registration.
• Establishing and upholding high standards for teachers in Ireland. The Council establishes standards across the entire career span for teachers including guidelines and codes related to their professional conduct, knowledge, skill, and competence.
• Ensuring the quality of initial teacher education programmes provided by higher education institutions in Ireland. This includes review and accreditation processes to maintain high standards of initial teacher education, which in turn contributes to the quality of teaching and learning in the country.
• Establishing standards to guide and support induction processes that are required on a statutory basis and promoting lifelong learning for registered teachers. This sets systematic benchmarks supporting the early stages of teachers’ career and encourages continuing professional learning throughout their careers.
• Commissioning and conducting research, using data and evidence to inform decision making and policy development. This provides evidence-based recommendations and contributes to discussions on educational policies, practices, and reforms, with the intention of ensuring high standards in the teaching profession.

Research, while named explicitly as one of the above functions, is also an enabler of all our other functions, since it provides the evidence needed to underpin all our work. Moreover, it helps us to fulfill our commitment to being a listening and learning organisation.

This strategy has been developed to guide our approach to research.

Developing this strategy

This strategy has been developed following a review of the previous strategy, and further to the following objective in our Strategic Plan (2022-2027):

“Review the Council’s research strategy, ensuring alignment with the Department of Education and its agencies and the growth of systemic connections”.

That review was informed by:

a) An internal review of the impact of the previous research strategy

b) An external review of our Researchers in Residence Scheme

c) A desk-based review of pertinent literature, and of policy and practice in comparable regulatory bodies

Underpinning principles

In preparing this strategy, the Teaching Council identified the following principles which will underpin its approach to research:

1. Strategic alignment: We will ensure our approach to research is aligned with our statutory responsibilities, as reflected in the goals and objectives in our Strategic Plan 2022 to 2027.
2. Capacity-building: We will ensure that our in-house research function has capacity to lead the implementation of this strategy, in light of the wider organisational benefits which this strategy will deliver.
3. Research culture: We will foster a strong research culture across the organisation, whereby research is valued and decisions across all our functions are informed by evidence.
4. Collaboration: We will work to build and sustain mutually beneficial relationships with other professional regulators, and with relevant departments, agencies, and support services in order to ensure our research activities are aligned with policy developments in the wider research landscape and are appropriately mediated to practitioners. We will also support collaborative engagement by teachers in and with research, in line with Goal number 2 of our corporate strategy.
5. Data: We will leverage the data we hold in house, including the diversity of data collected from registrants, to inform and influence policymaking.
6. Teachers’ professional learning: In accordance with Section 39(2)(a) of the Teaching Council Act, we will focus in particular on research related to teachers’ professional learning. We will also support teachers’ professional learning through research, in order to promote excellence and good practice in teaching.
7. Research ethics: We will adhere to the highest ethical standards in relation to research we conduct and expect the same standards from those carrying our research on our behalf or those carrying out research which has been supported by way of Council funding.
8. Research sharing: We will make our research available to the greatest extent possible in order to maximise access and impact.

Reviewing this strategy

We will review this strategy again in 2026 to ensure its ongoing relevance to the wider corporate strategy.

Research overview in line with Teaching Council Strategy 2022-2027

Strategic Area 1: Teacher Registration and Supply

Ensure a sufficient supply of registered and vetted teachers to meet the identified needs of the school system, including diversity, in collaboration with the Department of Education, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and all stakeholders.

Research Approach

We will leverage the data we hold via the register of teachers to inform and influence policy on teacher workforce planning and diversity. In doing so, we will work collaboratively with the Department of Education to optimise impact. A strong emphasis on quantitative and anonymised data will underpin our work in this area.

We will use research to inform the review of our policies and the continuous improvement of our processes.

Our longitudinal research into the first decade of teachers’ professional lives will be a source of evidence to inform policy and practice in relation to a range of areas.

We will seek and avail of appropriate opportunities to share our research findings widely.

Strategic Area 2: Collaborative Professional Communities for Sustainability

Provide practical frameworks and supports for collaborative professional communities with a particular focus on inclusion, joy, and creativity in quality teaching and learning.

Research Approach

Promote collaborative engagement with our research resources, thereby promoting collaborative professional learning through research.

Use research to inform the review of relevant strategies. Leverage the findings of the teachers’ professional journeys longitudinal research study to promote collaborative professionalism.

Strategic Area 3: Fitness to Teach

Continue to ensure that Fitness to Teach processes are fair, appropriate, and effective in the interests of the public and profession.

Research approach

We will leverage the Fitness to Teach data we hold to inform our policy on fitness to teach and influence policy and practice in relation to teachers’ learning across the continuum.

A strong emphasis on quantitative and anonymised data will underpin our work in this area.

Strategic Area 4: Corporate and Resourcing Sustainable Ways of Working

Maintain and enhance the Teaching Council’s flexible, collaborative, and innovative organisational culture that supports shared learning and responsiveness to regulatory requirement and national priorities.

Research approach

We will leverage HR data to support the ongoing development and the implementation of our people strategy. We will ensure we employ and develop staff with the appropriate skill sets to deliver this research strategy.

We will develop organisational strategies that are evidence informed. We will support a research culture in our organisation where quality research is valued as being integral to
policy making and service delivery.

We will ensure appropriate resources to facilitate the implementation of this strategy.

Summary

Research is one of the Council’s core functions and is also an enabler of the Council’s other functions, since it provides a sound evidence base for Council’s policymaking.

This strategy has been developed to guide the Council’s approach to research and ensure its research work supports the achievement of the Teaching Council’s statutory role and operational objectives in line with the corporate strategy (2022-2027). It will be supported by project plans that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound for optimum effectiveness.

This strategy will be reviewed in 2026 to ensure its ongoing relevance to the Council’s corporate strategy.