Teachers are the most important single element of the education system but what does it take to create high-quality teachers? Around the world, countries are struggling to understand how to change their schools to meet global demands. International comparisons have shown that schools in Finland lead the league tables, but why is this, what have they done, what new policies and practices in teacher education have they developed and how do they support the changes? A number of European and Asian countries also top the list when it comes to providing high-quality teacher education, but there is little information about what and how they are doing the work and how they have made changes. In this book, leading international scholars describe the systemic policies and practices of teacher education in eight high-achieving countries - Finland, Singapore, the Netherlands, the UK, Hong Kong, Canada, Australia and the USA - and how they are dealing with teacher quality, equity, and the changing global society.
An interesting diversity of policies and practices that support different emphases and changes in education is revealed - from those that emphasize the preparation of beginning teachers to those that emphasize teacher retention to those that emphasize critical policies and curriculum change. In addition, the authors highlight the importance of local cultural imperatives -- norms, political structures, history -- that influence and shape the preparation of quality teachers and make change possible and problematic. In the final chapter , the editors synthesize what has been learned across the eight countries: which policies and practices seem transferable; which seem embedded in the particulars of the culture of the country; whether politics and practicies that encourage problem-solving, critical thinking and cooperation are more successful than those that don't. They also describe themes that cut across all the countries, documenting not only what they are, but how the countries go about supporting and sustaining changes in teacher education. This book will be of interest to all those involved in the preparation of teachers around the world.