Teaching continues to attract and be driven by those who wish to work directly with children and young people and influence society. Such altruism is a hallmark of a strong profession. Like all working life, teaching is influenced by social and technological changes that can sometimes seem to be taking over the steering wheel. Discussions about the profession often revolve around pressures, constraints, and shorter-term fixes. The OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation took a different approach to explore the evolving nature of professionalism and how this may be a foundation for empowering teachers. The New Professionalism and the Future of Teaching project took a deep-dive into the research around professionalism and teachers, and then invited teachers, school leaders, policymakers, researchers, teacher educators, and others with a stake in education to work with this research to develop visions for the future of teaching. The result is this book – a forward-looking exploration of both the core and the supporting environment of the teaching profession, guided by evidence and the lived experiences of those who make teaching happen.
Section One describes the context, research, and conceptual findings that lay the ground for this work. Particular attention is given to the idea of Teacher Professional Identity, which comprises teachers’ evolving views, beliefs, attitudes and motivations, and is shaped by their experiences and working context. Bringing professional identity to the centre of future-oriented discussions can strengthen teachers’ sense of agency and enables teachers to respond to change with confidence and clarity. The potential of meaningful collaboration as an increasingly central aspect of professional life is also highlighted.
Elevating teacher voice and agency not only affirms the value of teachers’ work but also supports innovation, feasibility, and ownership of change. To this end, the project designed a methodology to mobilise the research and conceptual work for structured discussions on the future of teaching. This has been applied in four different education systems and has proven its adaptability and basis for a constructive exchange among teachers and others. Concretely, the methodology supports:
Gathering multiple perspectives on priorities for the future of teaching (Ambition Loops tool).
Considering diverse profiles of existing and future teachers and their professional needs (Teacher Personas tool).
Creating a set of preferred scenarios for the future of teaching, which are developed by teachers and other stakeholders working together.
Strengthening the focus on teacher professional identity.
Identifying a path toward well-functioning interprofessional and cross-sectoral collaborations.
Mapping out areas for long-term transformation and actionable first steps.
Valuing next-practice and promising initiatives within the education system.
Section Two of the book contains the findings from applying this methodology in specific education systems. The sets of scenarios co-constructed by teachers and others in each study revealed some shared aspirations and directions for the future of teaching. A thematic analysis across the studies identifies:
Three Aspirations for the Future of Teaching, which capture shared long-term goals: (1) careers that are meaningful and adaptable to teachers’ varied identities and life stages; (2) working conditions that support teacher well-being and sustain professional engagement; and (3) a profession capable of ongoing, teacher-led innovation that redefines practice and connects to societal needs. The aspirations are linked to concrete ideas for action to bring them to life, and examples that already exist within schools and systems, offering glimpses of what is possible. In Austria for instance, the Seitenwechsel programme allows teachers to spend a year working in a company before returning to schools to integrate and share this experience in their teaching. The programme strengthens links between schools, society and the labour market, enriching teaching practice and making the profession more outward-facing and dynamic.
Four Enablers of Change - policymakers, cross-sectoral partners, school communities and leaders –, which highlight the relational and systemic conditions that can support transformation.
Together, these elements form a flexible framework that connects long-term vision to immediate action while respecting the diversity of local contexts.
Section Three presents expert contributions that provide additional depth and nuance to the project. One contribution highlights the mismatch between traditional, industrialised models of schooling and the needs of contemporary learners, advocating for relationship-centred, inquiry-based, and interdisciplinary education. Other contributors argue that high job demands must be balanced by autonomy and flexible career structures. Practices such as job crafting, mentoring and hybrid roles that recognise teachers’ evolving strengths are highlighted as ways to sustain motivation and retention. The potential of AI and digital tools is discussed, too – as a tool to complement and augment teaching, while cautioning that technology should enable, not replace, professional judgment. Another contribution highlights how teachers can lead professional development and design learning experiences in communities of practice that integrate innovation and care. The closing contribution from Teacher Unions reinforces the enduring importance of democratic professionalism and argues for teacher leadership and collective voice.
Section Four concludes with an updated, re-imagined picture of teacher professionalism that sees teachers as professionals working within networks of colleagues, leaders, communities, and other stakeholders. Teacher Professional Identity grows through experience, collaboration, and reflection, and balances autonomy with shared standards and purpose. Teachers are capable leaders of change and innovation, and they respond confidently to emerging societal and technological realities. Section four also discusses the enabling conditions that sustain this vision.