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A new report from the Research Partnership for Professional Learning shows that few districts spend enough to offer universal access to PL with strongest evidence base.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – October 30, 2025 – According to a new analysis from the Research Partnership for Professional Learning (RPPL), district spending on teacher professional learning (PL) has increased at roughly the same pace as overall education budgets over the past two decades. Despite this steady commitment to teacher learning, the report also finds that spending lags behind the amounts necessary to ensure all teachers have access to proven forms of support, like instructional coaching.
The report, The Cost of Improvement: How Districts Spend on Teacher Professional Learning, examines state and district-level spending data from the last 20 years to understand how investments in teacher learning have evolved. The report is a first-of-its-kind analysis that offers both a macro and micro look at spending on teacher PL, and comes at a time of significant discourse about the future of education funding.
“Teacher professional learning is one of the main strategies we have to influence what happens in classrooms,” said RPPL Senior Research Associate Dr. Arielle Boguslav. “This research aims to give decision-makers a clearer picture of how funds are allocated, so they can make more effective investments in professional learning.”
Key findings paint a thorough picture of investment in teacher PL over the last 20 years:
- On average, changes in PL spending have largely kept pace with other education spending, increasing by $2,000 per teacher from 2001-2022 while remaining at around 3.5% of total expenditures.
- There is substantial variation across regions, states, and districts in spending patterns and in the allocation of spending between personnel and non-personnel costs.
- Larger districts and districts in cities tend to spend more on PL in both relative and absolute terms, suggesting there are limited economies of scale.
- On average, PL spending is highest in high-poverty districts serving mostly students of color and lowest in high-poverty districts serving mostly white students.
- Cost estimates suggest that providing sustained access to high-quality instructional coaching for all teachers would cost far more than what most districts currently spend.
RPPL’s analysis underscores the need to maintain—and better understand—investments in professional learning as districts navigate changing budget conditions. This publication is part of RPPL’s broader effort to bring greater insight into professional learning, enabling practitioners, educators, and researchers to strengthen PL content and context. To view the report, please visit https://rpplpartnership.org/insights-hub/
“This is a moment for the field to take stock. Collectively, districts are investing billions each year in teacher learning, yet most still can’t afford those dollars to sustain the kind of PL that drives real change. As budgets tighten, we have to protect what works and focus every dollar on PL that truly strengthens teaching and improves outcomes for all students.”
DR. Stacey Alicea
RPPL’S Executive Director
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About The Research Partnership for Professional Learning (RPPL)
The Research Partnership for Professional Learning (RPPL) is a collaborative of professional learning organizations, researchers, advocacy and policy organizations, and foundations committed to advancing the collective understanding of how to support teacher professional learning that leads to equitable student outcomes for historically marginalized students. RPPL seeks to identify the features of professional learning that dramatically accelerate improvements in students’ classroom experiences, well-being, and academic growth; and to generate and share insights that can guide the professional learning field, including professional learning organizations, districts, and schools, to strengthen their program design, results, and efficiency.