Despite the growing attention to the importance of learning culture among teachers in enhancing teaching quality, we lack systematic knowledge about how to build such a culture. Can demand-driven teacher professional development (TPD) enhance learning culture among teachers? To answer the question, we assess the implementation of the TPD reform in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The province has a prolonged history of a top-down TPD system. The top-down system, where teachers can only participate in training based on assignment, has detached TPD activities from school ecosystems. Principals and teachers have no autonomy to initiate TPD activities based on the need to improve learning outcomes in their schools. This study observes changes in individual teachers related to TPD activities triggered by the reform. However, the magnitude of the changes varies depending on teachers’ skills, motivation, and leadership style. The study suggests that shifting a TPD system from top-down to bottom-up requires differentiated assistance catered to the school leaders’ and teachers’ capabilities.

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This is one of a series of working papers from RISE—the large-scale education systems research programme supported by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.