Consolidating and unifying criteria around the permanent development of the teaching profession has been one of the lines of work in the field of education to which most attention has been paid in recent decades. James Lynch, from the UNESCO Institute for Education in Hamburg, in 1977 published the book Lifelong Education and the Preparation of Educational Personnel. This work outlined many of the keys to lifelong education for teachers, as well as their professional profile and the curricular characteristics of training systems.
Guaranteeing the right to education is one of the main global objectives, and this requires the development of inclusive schools that meet the needs of each student. A fair distribution of knowledge and access to equitable and quality education is essential. And to achieve this, teacher training and improved working conditions are needed.
Focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean, we present the proposal entitled Perspectives on teacher-policy development in Latin America and the Caribbean: lessons learnt from the Regional Strategy on Teachers, OREALC/UNESCO 2011-2016. The aim of the Regional Strategy on Teachers is to help reduce knowledge gaps and enhance teacher performance in the region. It takes into account that the teaching profession relates to the number of teachers in schools, the quality of their training, their working conditions and the situation of their schools. This Regional Strategy commenced at the end of 2011 and has been developed over three stages.
The first stage took place between 2011 and 2012. A set of criteria and guidelines for the construction of Teaching Policies in the region were compiled. This task was carried out by a number of experts and discussion groups from eight countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago). All this was compiled into a so-called State of the Art, presenting four scenarios:
- Initial training. Four general guidelines are proposed:
- Encourage better applicants to take up teaching by raising the admission requirements for teacher training.
- Improve the quality of teacher training programs.
- Deliver quality training relevant to the teaching of disadvantaged social groups.
- Implement appropriate systems to regulate the quality of teacher-training programmes and their graduates.
- In-service training and professional development. Six general guidelines are proposed:
- Guarantee teachers’ right to relevant continuing training with the emphasis on pupils’ learning achievement.
- Ensure that in-service training has a significant impact on teachers’ practices and pupils’ learning achievements.
- Build professional development paths for new teachers.
- Implement mechanisms to regulate the provision of in-service training and assure quality.
- Promote collaborative learning in schools.
- Teaching career and working conditions. Six general guidelines are proposed:
- Design and implement career structures in such a way that they strengthen the teaching profession and attract good candidates.
- Accompany newly qualified teachers and devise mechanisms to support them throughout their career.
- Assess teachers with a view to enhancing professional performance and career advancement.
- Develop sound, agreed teacher performance assessment systems.
- Establish transparent policies for teacher recruitment.
- Education policy institutions and processes. Four general guidelines are proposed:
- Prioritise teaching policies oriented towards the public interest and overcoming inequality in learning.
- Define the objectives and purposes of teaching policies, within the framework of innovation.
- Promote dialogue and stakeholder participation to build national agreements that include education experts to respond to the adaptation needs of education systems.
- Develop public institutions in charge of teacher-policy formulation.
The second phase of the Regional Strategy was developed in 2012-2013. In this stage, further progress was made, gaining a deeper understanding of the most salient issues in order to reinforce the roles of teachers and school principals. As a result, four publications were issued:
- “Critical Issues for formulating new teacher policies in Latin America and the Caribbean: the current debate”. This document provides a diagnosis with systematised information on Initial Teacher Training and issues related to pedagogical and professional training in Latin America and the Caribbean. The publication is divided into four parts: the first analyses the relationship between initial training and teaching; the second compares the knowledge with the skills required for teaching; the third covers the practice systems; and finally, the fourth presents a brief discussion of the issues addressed. The authors include: Gloria Calvo (Colombia); Francisco Esquivel (Costa Rica); Paula Louzano (Brazil); Lorena Meckes (Chile); Gabriela Moriconi (Brazil); Sylvia Schmelkes (Mexico); José Weinstein (Chile).
- “Compilation of Relevant Experiences of Teaching Policies in Latin America”. This is a compilation of various relevant experiences of teaching policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, taking as a classification the four scenarios designed in the first phase: Initial training; Continuous training and professional development; Teaching career and working conditions; and Institution and processes of education policies. Moreover, a mixed category was included for experiences involving more than one of the classification areas.
- “School Leadership in Latin America and the Caribbean” .Considering the scarcity of information on this subject in Latin America and the Caribbean, it was decided to compile information on policies in eight school systems in the region, in order to enhance and strengthen management leadership. This would serve to guide a research agenda on this topic.
- “Management training in Latin America and the Caribbean”. This scenario includes the study of innovative training programmes for school principals. The preparation and training of these principals has emerged as one of the challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean, initiating a new phase in management leadership. The process consists of developing initiatives focused on enhancing the managerial role, redefining responsibilities, and professionalising selection and recruitment processes. Education ministries, universities and private foundations are developing innovative training programmes with the aim of strengthening school management leadership, to advance the career of school management, improve schools and enhance networking among principals.
In the third phase, between 2014 and 2016, guiding criteria were formulated for public policies on children’s education, contributing to quality training for educators and improving their working conditions. As a result, three publications were presented:
- “State of the Art and Policy Guidelines on the Training and Professional Development of Early Childhood Teachers in Latin America and the Caribbean”. These are generic guidelines that do not stipulate specific recommendations for their implementation. Noteworthy is the proposal to raise the professional status of early childhood teachers, as well as the establishment of policy monitoring systems in this segment, and to establish a national consensus on the objectives of early childhood education.
- “Teaching careers in Latin America. Meritocratic action for professional development”. The aspect with the greatest impact under this heading is the extended period covered by regulations linked to the teaching profession. In 2014, professional careers designed and implemented back in the 1950s coexisted in the region with the latest proposals put forward in 2013.
- “Digital technologies at the service of educational quality: a proposal for change focused on learning for all”. After discussing all issues specifically relating to the pedagogical level, in last place comes ICT, which plays a central role in the development of the basic skills of students today and for their future. Technologies urge a rethinking of pedagogy and learning methods. ICT creates learning opportunities, generating the need to be continuously updated. Trainees must adapt to the use of new devices, software and applications. Accordingly, they require initiatives to be implemented for their use, taking into account the purposes and objectives of learning, thus ensuring quality education for everyone.
Finally, note that in 2014 the Regional Strategy on Teachers was recognised by the Ministers of Education at the Ministerial Meeting held in Lima (Peru), as an indispensable instrument or device of the United Nations 2030 Agenda in the region. The key to a project such as this lies in the process of constant reflection established from various lines of research linked to teaching performance. Building a framework for action that governs teaching practice while ensuring optimal quality standards can only be undertaken from an approach that enquires from within, with authoritative voices leading the teaching that takes place in educational institutions in various countries of the region.
Access the full document for more information:
Are you involved in any initiative that aims to ensure learning continuity during the global Covid-19 crisis? Share your initiative HERE!
