Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

texto transcrito da publicação da OECD: "Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers - Final Report: Teachers Matter"


Experience from a number of countries indicates that unless teachers and their
representatives are actively involved in policy formulation, and feel a sense of "ownership"
of reform, it is unlikely that substantial changes will be successfully implemented. On the
other hand, stakeholder groups should not be able to exercise a veto over education reforms
that are mandated through democratic political processes. It is difficult to find the right
balance, but open and ongoing systematic dialogue and consultation are fundamental to the
process.
In addition to consultative mechanisms, there are also institutional arrangements that can
help to promote dialogue and engage teachers and their professional associations in policy
formation. This is illustrated by the development in several countries of Teaching Councils
that provide teachers and other stakeholder groups with both a forum for policy
development and, critically, a mechanism for profession-led standard setting.
It has also become apparent that the available data and information on teachers, their work
and careers addresses only part of the spectrum covered by teacher policy, making the
development of better national and international information on teachers a priority. In most
countries there are also extensive research gaps concerning the teaching profession. Such
research is important not only for improving the knowledge base for teacher policy, but also
as a way of introducing new information and ideas to schools and ensuring that teachers
engage more actively with new knowledge. Policy formulation would also benefit from
more extensive monitoring and evaluation of innovation and reform, with more policies
launched on a pilot basis before widespread implementation.