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\nDr Richard Churches, Rachael Fitzpatrick, Codie Chaudoin, Ella Page, Catherine Lenahan, Grace Cox, and Marion Smallbones  \nLicensing teachers: a global policy lever for educational quality and professionalism  \nDr Richard Churches,1 Rachael Fitzpatrick,2 Codie Chaudoin,3 Ella Page,4 Catherine Lenahan, 5 Grace Cox,6 and Marion Smallbones 7  \n1 Dr Richard Churches is global Director of Research at edt.  \n2 Rachael Fitzpatrick is Head of Research at edt. Her doctoral research explores the education system in Vietnam.  \n3 Codie Chaudoin is an American educator with experience in a wide range of school leadership positions, including deployment by the US State Department in the Middle East. She is currently Vice Principal (Academics) at George Washington Academy in Casablanca.  \n4 Ella Page is a Senior Research Officer at edt. Her research interests include education system transformation with a focus on equity.  \n5 Catherine Lenahan is Senior Research Officer, Literacy at edt.  \n6 Grace Cox is a Research Officer at edt.  \n7 Marion Smallbones is Lead Adviser, Insights and Innovation at edt.  \n[01. edt.org](01. edt.org)  \nContents  \n03 Executive summary  \n07 Introduction  \n08 What is teacher licensing?  \n09 Approach  \n11 The importance of getting teacher licensing right  \n11 Understanding teacher licensing as a policy lever  \n12 Comparative typologies of teacher licensing systems  \n13 Key trends and policy rationales  \n14 Challenges and critiques  \n15 Implications for ‘system design’  \n15 Teacher professional development: global insights and principles  \n17 Case studies  \n19 United States – decentralised diversity in a federated system  \n21 United Kingdom – devolution and divergence in teacher licensing  \n23 Ghana – raising teacher quality through licensing in a low-income context  \n25 Saudi Arabia – reforming teacher licensing for workforce professional standards  \n27 Qatar – Early adoption of licensing with implementation learning  \n29 Vietnam – centralised and descentralised balancing with subsidised teacher training  \n31 Singapore – high trust, high standards, and global excellence  \n33 Estonia – rigorous entry, professional trust, and systemic coherence  \n35 Finland – professional trust and rigorous initial education  \n37 South Africa – balancing regulation, equity, and legacy challenges in teacher licensing  \n39 Permanent versus renewable licensing: balancing trust, accountability, and professional growth  \n41 Conceptualising policy dimensions in teacher licensing reform  \n43 Policy implications and recommendations  \n45 References  \n02.  \nExecutive summary  \nGlobal teacher shortages and trends in retention threaten the achievement of sustainability in education (UNESCO and International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, 2024).  \nThis edt report aims to contribute to that debate by examining teacher licensing practice across the world and the options available to policymakers.  \nOur report explores teacher licensing as a global policy lever capable of driving systemic improvements in education quality, equity, and professionalism. Alongside a global review, we include detailed case studies from ten jurisdictions – the United States, the United Kingdom, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, Vietnam, Estonia, Finland, and South Africa.  \nTeacher licensing refers to the formal process through which individuals are authorised to teach, typically involving qualification verification, competency assessment, and, in some systems, ongoing renewal requirements. Though commonly overlooked in global reform discourse, licensing can serve as a potent mechanism to establish minimum standards, support professional development, and elevate the status of teaching – when designed and implemented as part of a coherent policy framework.  \n[03. edt.org](03. edt.org)  \n04.  \nKey findings Policy recommendations  \nfor governments and  \neducatio","cbCaibLrgMTzXc2B","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaibLrgMTzXc2B","pdf",8696624,26,"English","# Executive summary\n# Introduction\n## What is teacher licensing?\n# Approach\n## Key trends and policy rationales\n# Challenges and critiques\n# Implications for ‘system design’\n## Teacher professional development: global insights and principles\n# Case studies\n## United States – decentralised diversity in a federated system\n## United Kingdom – devolution and divergence in teacher licensing\n## Ghana – raising teacher quality through licensing in a low-income context\n## Saudi Arabia – reforming teacher licensing for workforce professional standards\n## Qatar – Early adoption of licensing with implementation learning\n## Vietnam – centralised and descentralised balancing with subsidised teacher training\n## Singapore – high trust, high standards, and global excellence\n## Estonia – rigorous entry, professional trust, and systemic coherence\n## Finland – professional trust and rigorous initial education\n## South Africa – balancing regulation, equity, and legacy challenges in teacher licensing\n# Permanent versus renewable licensing: balancing trust, accountability, and professional growth\n# Conceptualising policy dimensions in teacher licensing reform\n# Policy implications and recommendations\n# References","[{\"question\":\"What does teacher licensing mean in this report?\",\"answer\":\"Teacher licensing is the formal process authorising individuals to teach, usually including qualification verification, competency assessment, and in some systems ongoing renewal requirements.\"},{\"question\":\"How is teacher licensing positioned as a policy lever?\",\"answer\":\"The report argues licensing can drive systemic improvements by setting minimum standards, supporting professional development, and elevating the status of teaching when designed within a coherent policy framework.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the major types of teacher licensing systems identified?\",\"answer\":\"The report groups licensing into centralised high-trust systems, decentralised models, and emerging mixed systems that arise as countries reform and develop licensing processes.\"}]","Licensing teachers: a global policy lever for educational quality and professionalism | PDF",1792050222,66]