Leaders of EI affiliates have joined their national education minister counterparts in a Summit on the Future of the Teaching Profession organised by EI, the OECD and U.S. Department of Education in New York City, from 16-17 March.
The first of its kind, the event aims to identify and elaborate on best practices that are being employed around the world to recruit, prepare and support teachers in ways that effectively enhance the teaching profession and elevate student performance.
EI’s President, Susan Hopgood and General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen, who will both address the Summit, will be joined by the OECD Secretary General, Angel Gurria, and the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, alongside representatives from the Council of Chief State School Officers.
Participants from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hong-Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the People's Republic of China, Poland, Singapore, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, will engage in open and in-depth discussions centred on learning best practices in the four key areas: teacher recruitment and preparation; development, support and retention of teachers; teacher evaluation and compensation; and teacher engagement in education reform.
EI General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen, said: “I am extremely proud that EI has been able to make an event like this happen with leading policymakers and education union leaders from OECD countries.
“We have worked closely with our affiliates in the USA, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, as well as the U.S. Department of Education and OECD.
“This Summit is an undeniably encouraging opportunity and represents a major step forward in joint working for strengthening a profession of quality teachers delivering quality education to their students.
“The Summit is also happening at a critical juncture for teachers’ unions, especially in the USA, where we see fiercely ideological attacks on the rights of teachers and trade unions to organise and collectively bargain. This will also need to be addressed at the event.”