Why teacher education matters even more

We are living in exceptional times, which challenge our educational systems, and teacher education in particular, as we seek to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world. Conflicts, migration, climate change, digitalisation and artificial intelligence are just some of the key issues pressing researchers and teacher educators to rethink the future of teacher education. These global concerns call for a stronger focus on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic that we experienced three years ago is still very much prevalent and its long-term effects are yet to be known. We know that it has exacerbated exclusion and inequalities in education and has revealed the fragility of educational systems. But it has also led us to question and revisit ways of teaching and learning. Whilst the development of digital competences is now seen as a key component of teacher education, there is a need to develop more flexible and innovative approaches to teaching and learning in this post-pandemic age.

But that is not all. The situation is exacerbated by the shortage of teachers facing many parts of the world (see Flores 2023; Flores and Craig, 2023). Many teachers are leaving the profession while many others do not want to enter it. This is not a new phenomenon, but it shows the lack of government investment in teacher education over the last two decades. As such, policy makers attempt to solve the problem of teacher shortage through emergency measures designed to fill teacher vacancies in schools. Enabling unqualified teachers to teach and altering teacher education policies are common strategies for dealing with the lack of teachers. At the time of writing, a new policy for pre-service teacher education in Portugal has been issued. One critical issue is the reduction of foundational courses, with the focus increasingly on content and how to teach content. Whilst a master’s degree remains the required professional qualification to join the profession, the new legislative text introduces more flexible ways of entering teaching. In addition, student teachers are hired as teachers during their practicum to mitigate the lack of teachers in schools with implications for supervision, research and reflection. Discussion of quality and quantity reveals clear drawbacks regarding what we know about the role and curriculum of teacher education and about the process of learning to teach. The view of the teacher as professional requires more than mastery of knowledge and competencies in a given subject and how to teach it. It entails knowledge about curriculum and general pedagogy, the school as an organisation, history and philosophy of education, as well as educational sociology and psychology. Consideration needs also to be given to the ethical, social and cultural dimensions of teaching and to the research component. Such a reduction in the teacher education curriculum thus results in the prevalence of a technicist and reductionist view of teaching. Goodwin et al. (2023) explore the enduring dilemmas or tensions in teacher education, two of which are the view of teacher as technician vs. teacher as professional and teacher shortages as an issue of quantity or quality. They discuss teacher professionalism as a mindset which values capacity for change, adaptability and continuous improvement. Such a view is crucial to respond to the challenges identified above.

Recently, the PISA 2022 assessment results (OECD 2023) revealed an unprecedented drop in performance across the OECD. The report states that while the mean performance in science remained stable, the OECD average dropped by almost 15 points in mathematics and about 10 score points in reading compared to PISA 2018. This decline cannot be explained by the pandemic alone and these figures require reflection and a call for action. Among other features, the PISA data also showed that teacher support is particularly key in times of disruption, including the provision of extra pedagogical and motivational support to students. These latest PISA results thus come as a post-pandemic PISA shock, urging us to rethink the role of schools as well as the views and practices of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in ways that are effective and responsive to current and future challenges. This means that teacher education continues to play a key role in transforming education and in providing students with adequate opportunities to learn and develop in such complex and demanding contexts.

Responding to these various challenges requires well-prepared teachers who are capable of understanding and making sense of the complex settings in which they have to operate given the increasing importance of diversity, equity and inclusion and the demands they pose. That is why teacher education matters even more. Instead of emergency measures focusing on immediate responses to deal with the problem of dwindling teacher numbers, we need more coherent and systemic policies that enhance the teaching profession, including teacher recruitment and selection, teacher education, support and appropriate professional development. Addressing the challenges facing the teaching profession cannot be done without a clear and systematic investment in teacher education. All students are entitled to be taught by good teachers. As such, there is a need to counteract the reductionist perspective of teaching associated with quick-fixes and emergency responses. Rather, it is imperative to invest even more in quality teacher education. As Goodwin et al. (2023) argue, preservice teacher education is key in shaping the future of education, with a focus on sustainability, innovation, and culturally-responsive transformation.

These extraordinary times call for collective efforts to strengthen the teaching profession. We are well aware of the crucial importance of adequate working conditions and appropriate rewards for teachers (both material and symbolic), as well as support and opportunities for professional development and social recognition of the profession. But it is important to emphasise that a solid academic and inquiry-based teacher education plays a fundamental role in making the profession stronger. It requires university and schools collaborating more coherently and a greater involvement of stakeholders in such an endeavour. It is, therefore, timely that this volume focuses on reimagining and remaking teacher education. In such an exercise it is vital to include the perspectives of teacher educators, researchers and education leaders whose voice is very often neglected in policy development in teacher education. That is why research in and on teacher education is increasingly important to inform policy and practice in ways that are consistent with treating teachers as professionals. Moreover, a central role is played by the European Journal of Teacher Education (EJTE).

As I complete my term as co-editor of the EJTE, it is time to look back and reflect upon my experience over the last eight years: one year as Deputy Editor (2016) and seven years as co-editor (2017–2023). I would like to take this opportunity to thank both co-editors with whom I had the privilege to work (Kay Livingston, 2016–2019 and Anja Swennen, 2020–2023). I would also like to express my gratitude to the members of the editorial board and of the international advisory board whose work and support were key to the journal’s success. I would like to thank Routledge Taylor and Francis, especially the Managing Editors and Production Teams whose support was crucial to handle the editorial tasks and the production of each issue. It has been a real privilege to work with so many authors, reviewers and guest editors over the last eight years. A word of appreciation also goes to the Administrative Council of the Association for Teacher Education in Europe.

Looking back on my work as editor I am pleased to say that the EJTE has expanded a great deal over the last eight years. There has been a significant increase in the number of submissions each year (over 600 per year). The hundreds of submissions have come from 65 different countries which clearly demonstrates the journal’s high reputation internationally. There has also been a huge increase in the number of reads, downloads and citations of papers published in the European Journal of Teacher Education. The success enjoyed by the journal is also seen in the significant increase in the Impact Factor: it is now 6.1, with the journal ranking 15^th in the list of 269 journals included in the ‘Education and Educational Research’ category (compared with 0.695 in 2016) (see Figure 1). EJTE is Q1 Impact Factor Best Quartile. This is a great achievement and places the journal as one of the most relevant in the field of teacher education internationally. Other metrics are also significant: 13.3 (2022) CiteScore (Scopus) (Q1 CiteScore Best Quartile); the acceptance rate is now 7%.

Figure 1. Impact factor of the EJTE 2016-2022.

Much has changed over the last eight years. Indeed, change and complexity are two of the most reiterated words in the editorials since 2016 (see, for instance, Flores 2017b, 2019, 2020, 2021; Livingston 2016, 2017). While an in-depth analysis of all the issues published over the last eight years is beyond the scope of this text, it is, however, important to emphasise some of the most recurrent themes. My first editorial focused on the complexities and challenges of be(com)ing a teacher and a teacher educator (Flores 2017a) and discussed the implications for the content and form of teacher education. Other issues published over recent years addressed the interplay between theory, practice and research in teacher education (Flores 2017b), the importance of research and its connection to professionalism in teacher education (Flores 2021) as well as the processes and conditions for professional learning for both pre-service and in-service teachers (e.g. Flores 2018a). The role, identity and professional development of teacher educators have also been the focus of interest over the years. Indeed, this was one of the most prominent topics, attracting the attention of more and more researchers (see, Flores 2018b; Smith and Flores, 2019). One Special Issue was devoted to this topic (Smith and Flores 2019), highlighting the need to look at teacher educators’ status, education and professional development. Out-of-field teaching, digital competencies, the voices of the stakeholders and issues of diversity, agency, reflection and identity were also addressed in issues published over the last eight years. In addition, teacher quality was also the subject of analysis and a Special Issue was devoted to this issue.

Yet, the theme that has indelibly marked the journal over the last seven years was without doubt the effects of COVID-19 on teacher education. The pandemic has been the focus of research for teacher educators and the European Journal of Teacher Education is no exception. As a matter of fact, the special issue on ‘The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on teacher education’ clearly attracted the attention of readers internationally as it is one of the most read and cited special issues of the European Journal of Teacher Education ever produced. In the editorial, Flores and Swennen (2020, 453) argue that ‘The reality resulting from the COVID-19 crisis raises questions about the nature of teaching and ways of supporting the learning of student teachers, but it also challenges teacher education to (re)think ways of (re)educating teachers for scenarios that are unpredictable and unknown but which raise questions related to equity and social justice’. It is important to revisit some of these topics and look at the issues that need further consideration. For instance, to what extent has the changing nature of teacher professionalism impacted teacher education and in what ways? How has teacher education changed in post-pandemic times and what does it tell us about the professional identities of teachers and of teacher educators? What are the challenges that artificial intelligence poses to teacher education and what are its ethical and political implications? What do we know about the effects of digitalisation on teaching and learning in schools but also on teacher education? How is innovation defined and enacted in teacher education in post-pandemic times? How is teacher education changing in face of the challenges of the teaching profession, especially the problem of teacher shortage? What does it tell us about the aims, processes and outcomes of teacher education? It is challenges like these that make EJTE an important journal for disseminating and sharing knowledge and research on teacher education internationally. I would like to end by wishing the new editorial team well as they continue to move the journal forward.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.