Quality teachers matter for quality teaching in schools and classrooms, and quality teachers depend, to a great extent, on the quality of teacher education programmes. Yet, it is possible to identify different ways of understanding teacher quality in diverse contexts (Sachs, 2012; Darling-Hammond & Lieberman, 2012; Hilton, Flores, & Niklasson, 2013). For instance, in Europe, quality teachers have been described as those “equipped with the ability to integrate knowledge, handle complexity, and adapt to the needs of individual learners as well as groups” (EC, 2013, p. 7) and quality Initial Teacher Education (ITE) is associated with “teachers’ knowledge, skills and commitment” (EU, 2013, p. 8). This paper draws upon the wider international literature on teacher quality as well as on research in which I have been involved over the last 20 years. In particular, data from a 3-year research funded project on teachers’ work will be discussed. The project included a national survey (n=2702); interviews with school principals (n=11); and focus group with teachers (=99) and students (n=108). The chapter also focuses on data from an international literature review on teacher quality as it has been described in teacher education programmes. The aim of the paper is twofold: i) to identify and contrast the ways in which teacher quality has been defined internationally; ii) to analyze (and deconstruct) the term quality drawing upon empirical evidence from diverse stakeholders. In this paper I will look at the key aspects associated with teacher quality taking into account the international literature but also empirical evidence. I will argue that, in many contexts, teacher quality has been associated with a rather narrow view which has been related to standards, performativity and managerialism. At the same time interactive and extended views on teacher professionalism have been advocated especially from a policy context. These trends may be seen in the ways in which teacher professionalism has been defined in teacher education programmes as well as in real conditions of teachers’ work in schools and classrooms. The paper looks at these contradictory trends and it discusses the implications for teacher education and for redefining teacher professional identity especially in the early years.

Sachs, J. (2012). Teacher Professionalism: why are we still talking about it? Paper presented as keynote address at the ATEE conference, Eskisehir, Turkey, August 25-29. EC. (2013). Supporting Teacher Competence Development for better learning outcomes. . Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/school/doc/teachercomp_en.pdf Darling-Hammond, L., & Lieberman, A. (Eds.). (2012). Teacher education around the world. Changing policies and practices. London: Routledge. Hilton, G., Flores, M. A., & Niklasson, L. (2013). Teacher quality, professionalism and professional development: findings from a European project. Teacher Development, 17(4), 431-447.