15 March 2012 - Education leaders from 23 high-performing and rapidly-improving countries and regions worldwide convened in New York City yesterday and today at the second International Summit on the Teaching Profession to share common challenges and best practices for training and supporting teachers and school leaders.
 
“Last year’s first-ever International Summit focused on how high-performing countries support and elevate the teaching profession, contributing greatly to the RESPECT Project,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “The 2012 Summit has continued the conversation started last year, adding thoughtful insight on effective ways to prepare and develop skilled teachers and school leaders, and reaffirming the critical role they play in successfully implementing systematic reform.”
 
“Teaching and school management will have to adapt to deliver 21st century skill to students. This summit has once again provided countries with an opportunity to learn from each other and to share best practices”, said OECD Deputy Secretary General Yves Leterme.

 

The OECD, the U.S. Department of Education and Education International (EI) convened this summit together with U.S.-based partners- National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), Asia Society, and WNET.
 
The two-day conference brought together education ministers, national union leaders and accomplished teachers from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the People’s Republic of China, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
 
Participants engaged in extensive discussion around policies and methods for successfully developing school leaders, preparing teachers to deliver 21st century learning skills, and matching supply with demand in placing principals and teachers in areas where they are needed the most.
 
Prior to the Summit, the OECD released a background paper, which provides an international overview of various methods and programs for recruiting, preparing and developing schools leaders and teachers among dozens of countries. Examples from high-performing and rapidly-improving countries and regions are highlighted throughout the report.
 
In the weeks following the Summit, Asia Society will again lead host organizations in publishing a summary paper to publicly document insights shared and lessons learned.
 
A third Summit will be convened by the Netherlands, and is scheduled to take place in Amsterdam in 2013.

 

Media contact:
Matthias Rumpf
Matthias.Rumpf@oecd.org
Cell: +1 (202) 445-8058