Dylan William argues that if we are serious about raising student
achievement, the only way to do this is by investing in the professional
development of teachers. Not all investments are equally effective, and
some, such as helping teachers make greater use of assessment for
learning, are more effective than others, such as increasing teacher
content knowledge. If we are to be successful, however, as well as being
clear about what we want teachers to do differently, we have to
understand why changing teachers' practice is so difficult.