The first part of this paper will start with an introduction of the general context of the education system in The Netherlands. This is followed by a presentation of the general characteristics of the teacher education system, of the balance between school autonomy and government control, and of the general policies concerning teacher quality. The second part will give an elaboration of the system of teacher education by introducing five major developments that have shaped teacher education in the past twenty years, and by giving a more detailed description of each type of teacher education. In the third part, I reflect on the role of the government in steering innovations and quality improvement in the area of teacher education
Recent studies have identified that the teacher is the most important factor influencing the quality of education. Following this line of reasoning, it is likely to assume that the teacher educator is the most important factor influencing the quality of teacher education. Although many research studies and policy documents attempt to identify the qualities of teachers, only a few publications address the quality of teacher educators. This paper examines the contemporaryEuropean policy debate on the quality and status of teacher educators. Two issues will be addressed. Firstly, to what extent is teacher educator regarded as a profession? Secondly, what actions and measures are proposed to maintain or increase the quality and status of the teacher educator profession? Based on literature on professions and professionalism, a framework has been developed to guide our examination of European policy documents on teacher education to identify to what extent these documents express notions of teacher educators as professionals.
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Beginning teachers encounter a lot of challenges when they start to work in their first job as a teacher (Kessels, 2010; Pillen, 2013). In this study, the support and coaching of beginning teachers in schools is the central issue. What kind of support do beginning teachers receive, what topics are discussed and what kind of support do they perceive as beneficial for their development as a teacher? A questionnaire for both beginning teachers and their coaches was used to investigate the support offered in schools. Results show that allmost all beginning teachers are engaged in informal conversations as well as in more formal coaching moments. Topics that are adressed have to do with teaching and workload. The results of this study can be useful for schooldirectors who want to develop an induction trajectory for their starting colleagues and help them choose which forms of support should be included.
