Teacher qualifications, skills, and standards for equity and inclusion in education

This chapter looks at the vital role of initial teacher education and teachers' professional development in preparing teachers with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be professional teachers. To help people learn, professional educators need to know the subject they are teaching, know the learner and their needs, and have professional knowledge and skills to appropriately support learning, particularly for those with special needs and support learners in diverse learning environments. Professional teachers can also identify access and equity gaps and facilitate education access. Often, they work with others and can develop community attitudes towards addressing access and equity education issues.