International Experience in Organizing Career Progression and Professional Development of Teachers

The global challenges of today’s world define school teachers as key actors of the education system’s development. This agenda has led to the fact that various countries are actively implementing additional education programs and strategies aimed at building leadership skills and management competencies in teaching staff. One of the essential factors that ensures education quality and its efficiency is providing teachers with diverse career opportunities. Based on the theoretical study, the authors have identified typical teacher career structures, teacher career models, career ladders and trajectories, as well as requirements to career growth in the countries of the world. The research findings include showcasing best international practices of organizing teacher career progression based on the case studies of three countries – Japan, China (Shanghai), and Singapore; defining the main trends that must be taken into account when planning and implementing supporting measures for school teachers’ professional development; identifying the key components of activities aimed at supporting teacher professional development at schools.