A decade of dispute in the national teacher training policy in Brazil: a national reality or an international movement?

Editorial

Abstract

The national policy for teacher training in Brazil has highlighted one of the most contentious issues in the educational landscape. In the legal realm, marked by dissent and conflicting positions, we have seen the publication of three guidelines over the course of a decade: Resolution nº 02/2015, nº 02/2019, and the current one, nº 04/2024, which revoked the two previous ones. At the core of these legal provisions are hegemonic positions regarding concepts of teacher training and basic education, which largely conflict with the principles and agendas of civil society organizations. Thus, on one hand, public universities, teacher training forums, and academic entities and associations have fought for a solid and critical scientific education, while on the other hand, representatives of the market and private interests advocate for neoconservative agendas and a technical training approach. This reality is not a national peculiarity; rather, it reflects an intensification of the conservative agenda on an international scale. This issue of the Journal Education and Policies in Debate, titled “Teacher Training Policies in Brazil and Europe in the 21st Century: Influences and Perspectives,” contributes to fostering the debate on this important topic. In addition to presenting studies on the Brazilian reality, we also include analyses of the situations in countries from Latin America, Europe, and Africa.