This book addresses the history of teacher preparation in Northern Ireland, paying particular attention to the distinctive political and religious influences in the country and how these have impacted teacher education.

This study of teacher preparation policy and practice in Ireland from Independence in 1921 to the present, highlights, within an international context, the extent to which the focus of preparation moved from nation-building until 1967, when free second-level education was introduced, to one concerned with improving the country’s human capital.

In this book, leading teacher education researchers from Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Finland, Hong Kong SAR, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, the USA and Wales examine teacher education policy and research in each of their contexts. The book highlights the connections and disconnections between teacher education policy and research. It examines contemporary challenges and issues in teacher education including how high-quality teacher education is framed, how teaching quality is framed, and the role of teacher education research. It also considers future policy and research possibilities and opportunities for teacher education research, equity and preparing teachers for work within contexts of super-diversity, and early career teaching.