Recent changes in Icelandic society have increased the demands and responsibility of teachers, in adopting school activities, and to implement professionally the stipulations of education law and policy of school practice, established in new acts and legislations
The emphasis should be on equality, democratic cooperation…. well-being and education of each individual (The Compulsory school act no. 91 /2008), defined in six mutual education pillars for preschools, elementary schools and upper secondary education one of the pillars is Equality. Because of these increased demands of teachers responsibility for equality education The Center for Research on Equality, Gender and Education, School of Education, University of Iceland, are working on investigation of how teacher training students are prepared for this task.The center's main role and mission is, among other, to conduct research in the field of gender studies and equality in schools and teacher education. Promote development work in the academic field, both in teacher education, in preschools, primary and secondary schools, and in policymaking. Guðný Guðbjörnsdóttir and Steinunn Helga Lárusdóttir (2012) findings indicate that the teachers educators understand of equality, is broad, and they see themselves as equality oriented. However, they seem to lack knowledge of gender studies fundamental concepts and tend either to ignore or show resistance to gender equality. Thordis Thordardottir and Steinunn Helga Lárusdóttir (in process) findings indicate that teacher students have traumatic memories of their gender identity construction related to families, schools and peer pressure.
I argue that teacher students educators need to consider to take gender equality and general equality to thoroughly reconsideration in their curriculum and teaching, in order to make becoming teachers more capable to practice and teach equality in pre- elementary and high-schools