From April 25-27, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education co-hosted the 2023 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP 2023) by welcoming more than 22 countries, alongside the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Education International (EI).
The first day of ISTP 2023 featured remarks from First Lady Jill Biden, as well as attendance from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) National Teacher of the Year Rebecka Peterson and a delegation of State Teachers of the Year. The theme of the 2023 Summit was “Poised for the Future: Transformative Teaching for Global Engagement, Sustainability, and Digital Access.”
Building on the discussions held during the international teaching summits in 2021 and 2022, ISTP 2023 focused on three areas: elevating and enhancing the teaching profession; educating for global and cultural competence and civic engagement; and leveraging digital technologies to ensure equitable access and enhanced learning for all.
“The International Summit on the Teaching Profession is about driving the intentional collaboration students around the world need to fulfill the full promise of education to open doors to better lives and livelihoods,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Whether it’s building and supporting the next generation of incredible educators, preparing young people to engage globally in an increasingly interconnected world, or seizing the opportunities and managing the risks of digital transformation, our students are counting on governments and organizations alike to come together and invest in their future. Together, we can—and we will—Raise the Bar in education.”
“This summit shows the power of dialogue between teacher organizations and governments working together to advance education policies which meet the needs of all students. Amid converging global crises, the growing teacher shortage is threatening the right to quality education around the world. Education is humanity’s guarantee for a more sustainable and just future,” said General Secretary of Education International David Edwards. “Investing in the teaching profession is investing in the future.”
“From its humble beginnings in 2011, through years of controversial debates up to this very moment, the International Summit of the Teaching Profession has always pursued one goal: to bring governments and teacher unions together to build a better future, through education,” said OECD Director for the Directorate for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary General Andreas Schleicher. “The OECD is proud to co-host the Summit and to provide the evidence base for it.”
For more information, see the ISTP 2023 report.
ISTP was first held in 2011 by then-U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to bring together ministers and secretaries of education from around the world, the heads of their teacher unions, and other representatives of the teaching profession. The ISTP was the first of its kind, designed to engage governments and teacher organizations from high-performing and rapidly improving educational systems (based on the results of PISA) in an intensive discussion about how to strengthen education through a stronger teaching profession.
Based on the success of the first ISTP in 2011, the event became an annual event hosted by different countries each year. Subsequent host countries have included the United States (which hosted again in 2012); the Netherlands (2013), New Zealand (2014), Canada (2015), Germany (2016), the United Kingdom (2017), Portugal (2018), Finland (2019), Spain (2020), the United States (2021), and Spain (2022). OECD and EI have continued to co-host each year.