How teachers with PhDs can contribute to the development of research-rich cultures in schools

Dr Rachel Lawrence, Director of Professional Development, Brooke Weston Trust, UK; formerly Curriculum and Development Director, Researchers in Schools, UK How can teachers with PhDs use their research expertise to benefit the schools? In this article, I argue that completing a PhD encourages scholarly habits and dispositions that are directly relevant to a teacher’s role, enabling critical evaluation of educational research in the teacher’s own context. I argue that teachers with PhDs can help to create research-rich cultures in their schools, applying research skills to teaching and encouraging critical engagement with research in their schools.  Context: The Researchers in Schools programme  This article is based on the experiences of teachers with PhDs on the Researchers in Schools (RIS) programme. RIS is a ‘route into teaching and training’ programme exclusively for people who have a PhD. It is funded by the Department for Education and run by The Brilliant Club. In a