In-service teacher education policies and teaching induction programs in Brazil

Abstract

This paper discusses in-service teacher education policies with special attention to beginning teacher education and teaching induction programs, taking into account data collected in fi fteen departments of education in Brazilian states and municipalities, which were part of a fi eld study on teacher policies in Brazil (Gatti et al., 2011). The fi rst part of the paper presents the theoretical framework that guided data analysis, highlighting the contributions of both Brazilian and foreign authors. Then it describes the methodology of fi eldwork: sites, sources and methodological procedures of data collection. The third part of the text presents the research fi ndings concerning in-service teacher education: management agencies, how educators are selected, which are the contents and methodologies of training, what are the main teachers’ demands, and how teacher training is assessed. Some initiatives and programs designed for beginning teachers and teaching induction are also discussed. In the fi nal part of the text we point out some issues that deserve attention from researchers and those responsible for teacher education.

Keywords: teacher policies, in-service teacher education, beginning teachers, teaching induction.