Conference Program

Recently, a team of researchers affiliated with the Crespi Center conducted a multi‑method analysis of the factors influencing the processes and outcomes of the Research-based Teacher Professional Development (RBTPD) Model implemented in schools (Dodman et al., 2025), grounding their investigation in the project’s theoretical conceptualization and defining features. Building on these insights, this contribution examines the factors that shaped the development of a specific RBTPD program carried out in a lower secondary school in the Emilia–Romagna region, within Group A of the PRIN2022 project coordinated by the Crespi Center (Agrusti et al., 2024).

After outlining the objectives and thematic focus of the PRIN project, connected to the investigation and mitigation of educational poverty in schools, the paper retraces the work undertaken in the school, focused on the area of assessment beliefs and practices, with particular attention to several dimensions included in the SARF self‑assessment tool (Damiani et al., 2025). The analysis concentrates on the initial phase focused on identifying and sharing contextual needs and on collaboratively defining the goals of the specific RBTPD project. It provides an overview of the qualitative and quantitative tools used to capture students’ and teachers’ needs, the evidence collected, and how this information was discussed and interpreted with the participating teachers. The paper then examines how specific contextual characteristics influenced the program development, also referencing the suggestions offered by Ciani and colleagues (2025) on the RBTPD process, together with the reflections and actions that emerged during the work. Specifically, the paper will illustrate how factors related to time availability, teachers perceived sense of control, and leadership posed significant challenges to implementing of the RBTPD study, and how, based on this awareness, the organization of the program was subsequently reconsidered and redesigned to make it sustainable. Finally, the paper will delve into an analysis of the impact of the project both in terms of its content and its methodological approach, drawing on the perspectives of researchers and teachers, and presenting themes that emerged from interviews with participating teachers.