Conclusions of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council of 15 November 2007 , on improving the quality of teacher education
Date: 2007-11-15
Institutions: Council of the European Union, Representatives of the Governments of the Member States
Subjects: educational institution, knowledge economy, teacher training, teaching quality

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Official Journal of the European Union

12.12.2007

IV

(Notices)

NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES

COUNCIL

Conclusions of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States,
meeting within the Council of 15 November 2007, on improving the quality of teacher education (1)

(2007/C 300/07)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE REPRESENTA-
TIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES, MEETING
WITHIN THE COUNCIL,

conditions to support teachers through initial and in-service
training, and of attracting recruits to teaching and training
who have professional experience in other fields (4).

HAVING REGARD to:

1. The Lisbon European Council conclusions of 23-24 March
investing in people was
2000, which emphasised that
crucial to Europe's place in the knowledge economy, and
which called upon Member States to ‘take steps to remove
obstacles
to teachers' mobility and to attract high-quality
teachers’ (2).

4. The Council Resolution of 27 June 2002 on lifelong
learning, which invited the Member States to improve the
education and training of
teachers involved in lifelong
learning so that they acquire the necessary skills for the
knowledge society (5).

2. The Education Council's February 2001 report

to the
European Council on the concrete future objectives of
education and training systems, which emphasised the
changing role of teachers who, while continuing to impart
knowledge,
‘also function as tutors, guiding learners on their
individual pathway to knowledge’ (3).

5. The joint interim report of the Council and the Commis-
sion of 26 February 2004 on progress towards the Lisbon
objectives in the fields of education and training (6), which
gave priority to the development of common European
principles for the competences and qualifications needed by
teachers in order to fulfil their changing role in the knowl-
edge society (7).

3. Objective 1.1 of the ‘Education & Training 2010’ work
programme — Improving education and training for teachers
and trainers, which highlights the importance of attracting
and retaining well-qualified and motivated people to the
teaching profession, of identifying the skills that teachers
require to meet the changing needs of society, of providing

(1) These conclusions relate to teachers in general education and in initial
vocational education; for these purposes a teacher is a person who is
acknowledged as having the status of a teacher (or equivalent) according
to the legislation and practice of a Member State. It does not include
persons employed outside the formal systems of education and training
because of the different nature and context of the tasks they undertake.

(2) Doc. SN 100/1/00 REV 1.
(3) Doc. 5980/01.

6. The joint interim report of the Council and the Commis-
sion of 23 February 2006 on the implementation of the
‘Education & Training 2010’ work programme, which
emphasised that ‘investment
teachers and
leadership for education and
trainers and the strengthening of
training institutions are crucial
to improving the efficiency of
education and training systems’ (8).

in the training of

(4) OJ C 142, 14.6.2002, p. 1.
(5) OJ C 163, 9.7.2002, p. 1.
(6) Doc. 6905/04.
(7) Annexes I and II to doc. 12414/07 ADD 1.
(8) OJ C 79, 1.4.2006, p. 1.

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7. The conclusions of the Council and the Representatives of
the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the
Council, of 14 November 2006 on efficiency and equity in
education and training, which stated that ‘the motivation,
skills and competences of teachers, trainers, other teaching staff
and guidance and welfare services, as well as the quality of school
leadership, are key factors in achieving high quality learning
outcomes’ and that
should be
supported by continuous professional development’.

‘the efforts of

teaching staff

8. The conclusions of the Council and the Representatives of
the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the
Council, of 14 November 2006 on the future priorities for
enhanced European cooperation on vocational education
and training, which emphasised the need for highly quali-
fied teachers who undertake continuous professional devel-
opment (9).

9. Decision No 1720/2006/EC of the European Parliament
and of the Council of 15 November 2006 establishing an
action programme in the field of lifelong learning, which
the specific
includes, under
objective of enhancing the quality and European dimension
of teacher education (10).

the Comenius Programme,

10. The Recommendation 2006/961/EC of

the European
Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on
key competences for lifelong learning (11), which sets out
the minimum knowledge, skills and attitudes which all
pupils should have acquired by the end of initial education
and training in order to take part in the knowledge society
and which, given their transversal nature, imply a greater
degree of collaboration and teamwork between teachers, as
well as an approach to teaching that goes beyond tradi-
tional subject boundaries.

WELCOME the Communication from the Commission to the
Council and the European Parliament of 23 August 2007 on
improving the quality of teacher education (12), which identifies
the quality of teaching and teacher education as key factors in
raising educational attainment levels and achieving the Lisbon
goals, and accordingly sets out proposals aimed at maintaining
and improving these.

REAFFIRM that, while responsibility for the organisation and
content of education and training systems and the achievement
of objective 1.1 of the ‘Education and Training 2010’ work
programme rests with individual Member States, and while
schools in many Member States enjoy a considerable degree of
autonomy, European cooperation has a useful role to play in

helping the Member States to meet common challenges, particu-
larly by means of the open method of coordination, which
involves the development of common principles and goals, as
the
well as joint
exchange of experience and good practice and mutual moni-
toring.

initiatives such as peer learning activities,

CONSIDER that:

1. High quality teaching is a prerequisite for high-quality educa-
tion and training, which are in turn powerful determinants
of Europe's long-term competitiveness and capacity to create
more jobs and growth in line with the Lisbon goals and in
conjunction with other
such as
economic policy, social policy and research.

relevant policy areas

2. Equally importantly, teaching provides a service of consider-
able social relevance: teachers play a vital role in enabling
people to identify and develop their talents and to fulfil their
potential for personal growth and well-being, as well as in
helping them to acquire the complex range of knowledge,
skills and key competences that they will need as citizens
throughout their personal, social and professional lives.

3. The ability of teachers to meet the challenges of increasing
social and cultural diversity in the classroom is crucial for
the development of more equitable education systems and
for progress towards providing equal opportunities for all.

4. The education and training of teachers is a crucial element in
the modernisation of European education and training
systems, and future increases in the overall level of educa-
tional attainment and the pace of progress towards the
common objectives of the ‘Education and Training 2010’
work programme will be facilitated by the existence of effec-
tive systems of teacher education.

5. In view of the above considerations, Member States should
give high priority to sustaining and improving the quality of
teacher education within a career-long perspective.

NOTE that:

1. Numerous

social,

cultural,

economic and technological
changes in society place new demands on the teaching
profession and hasten the need for the development of more
competence-centred approaches to teaching, together with a
greater emphasis on learning outcomes.

(9) OJ C 298, 8.12.2006, p. 8.
(10) OJ L 327, 24.11.2006, p. 45.
(11) OJ L 394, 30.12.2006, p. 5.
(12) Doc. 12414/07 + ADD 1 + ADD 2.

In acquiring key competences for life, pupils are increasingly
expected to develop greater learning autonomy and to take
responsibility for their own learning.

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Furthermore, the learners in any class may come from an
increasingly wide range of backgrounds and may have a very
broad range of abilities.

AGREE, within the framework of their responsibilities, to:

1. Endeavour to ensure that teachers:

In order to enable teachers to adapt their teaching methods
to the evolving needs of learners, there is a need for them
regularly to update existing skills and/or develop new ones.

— hold a qualification from a higher education institu-
suitable balance between
a

tion (14) which strikes
research-based studies and teaching practice,

2. The new demands facing teachers not only create the need to
develop new learning environments and approaches
to
teaching, but also require a high degree of professionalism.

— possess specialist knowledge of their subjects, as well as

the pedagogical skills required,

As schools become more autonomous and open learning
environments, teachers assume ever greater responsibility for
the content, organisation and monitoring of the learning
process, as well as for their own personal career-long profes-
sional development.

3. This in turn presents teacher education institutions, teacher
educators and schools with fresh challenges when developing
or implementing programmes for both student teachers and
practising teachers.
In order to enable teacher education
those challenges, better coordination is
systems to meet
required between the various strands of teacher education —
from initial
early career
support (‘induction’ (13)) to in-service professional develop-
ment.

through additional

education,

In addition, greater incentives are needed for teachers to
carry on updating their skills throughout their professional
lives, while efforts are also required to ensure that in-service
education is responsive to teaching needs in terms of both
quality and quantity.

4. In several Member States there is a need not only to attract
new people — including suitably qualified people with
experience from other professions — into the teaching
profession, but also to persuade experienced teachers to
remain in the profession rather than retiring early or moving
to other professions.

— have access to effective early career support programmes

at the start of their career,

— have access to adequate mentoring support throughout

their careers,

— are encouraged and supported throughout their careers
to review their learning needs and to acquire new knowl-
informal
edge, skills and competence through formal,
and non-formal learning, including exchanges and place-
ments abroad.

2. Endeavour to ensure that teachers with leadership functions,
in addition to possessing teaching skills and experience, have
access to high quality training in school management and
leadership.

3. Aim to ensure that provision for teachers' initial education,
early career support and further professional development is
coordinated, coherent, adequately resourced and quality
assured.

4. Consider the adoption of measures aimed at raising the level
of qualifications and the degree of practical experience
required for employment as a teacher.

Improving the quality of teacher education can provide one
means of making the teaching profession an attractive career
choice.

(13) ‘Induction’ refers to the process in some Member States whereby newly
qualified teachers during their first years of employment are provided
with the additional support (e.g. through mentoring, training, advice)
which they need to take on their new role within the school and the
profession; it thus forms a bridge between initial teacher education and
actual professional practice.

5. Encourage closer links and partnerships between schools —
which should develop as ‘learning communities’ — and
teacher education institutions, whilst ensuring that
those
institutions provide coherent, high quality and relevant
teacher education programmes which respond effectively to
the evolving needs of schools, teachers and society at large.

(14) Or, in the case of those working in the field of initial vocational educa-
tion, are highly qualified in their professional area and hold a suitable
pedagogical qualification.

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6. Promote during initial teacher education, early career support
and through continuous professional development the acqui-
sition of competences which will enable teachers to:

— teach transversal competences such as those outlined in

the Recommendation on key competences (15),

— create a safe and attractive school environment which is

based on mutual respect and cooperation,

— teach effectively in heterogeneous classes of pupils from
diverse social and cultural backgrounds and with a wide
range of abilities and needs, including special education
needs,

— work in close collaboration with colleagues, parents and

the wider community,

— participate in the development of the school or training

centre in which they are employed,

— develop new knowledge and be innovative through

engagement in reflective practice and research,

— make use of ICT in their various tasks, as well as in their

own continuing professional development,

— become autonomous learners in their own career-long

professional development.

7. Provide appropriate support for teacher education institu-
tions and teacher educators, so as to enable these to develop
innovative responses to the new demands on teacher educa-
tion.

8. Support mobility programmes for teachers, student teachers
and teacher educators which are designed to have a signifi-
cant impact on their professional development, as well as to
foster better understanding of cultural differences and an
awareness of the European dimension of teaching.

9. Take any appropriate steps to make the teaching profession a

more attractive career choice.

INVITE THE MEMBER STATES, WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE
COMMISSION, to:

1. Work together to enhance European cooperation within the
framework of
the open method of coordination — in
consultation with the relevant stakeholders and as a trans-
versal policy objective of the ‘Education and Training 2010’
work programme and its successor — in order to promote
implementation of the policy priorities on teacher education
outlined in these conclusions.

2. Use all available instruments, such as those forming part of
the open method of coordination,
the Lifelong Learning
Programme, the 7th Framework Programme for Research
and Technological Development and the European Social
Fund,
to promote — using an integrated approach —
evidence-based knowledge relevant to teacher education poli-
cies, further initiatives on mutual learning, innovative teacher
education projects and the mobility of
teacher
educators and student teachers.

teachers,

(15) See note 11.