2. COUNTRY & REGION PRESENTATIONS Closing Session: What have we learned? Where do we go from here?

3. PURPOSE 1.Most powerful learning 2.Top priority going forward

4. Belgium 1.Excellent education for all is a real challenge for authorities and unions. A strong supportive environment for teachers is required. Commercialization of education is a serious threat to equity, equality and democracy 2. We need to reinforce quality education. The Flemish community intends to conclude a pact with the providers of education and the trade unions on the teaching career.

5. Canada 1.Collaborative leadership, throughout the system, is at the heart of system improvement and innovation. 2.Maintaining the fluidity of the system as it meets emerging and on going needs through a collaborative approach that engages governments and teachers in implementing mutually agreed-upon solutions.

6. People’s Republic of China 1.To improve the pre-service education for teachers. 2.To expand early childhood education for all of our children.

7. Denmark 1.To make elevating the status of the teaching profession a top national priority. 2.From age 0 to 18, the education path should build the social and technical skills of students.

8. Estonia 1.Systematic and crisp insight into 21 st century educational challenges as presented by Professor Lee Sing Kong. 2.A comprehensive reform of pre-service, in- service and cooperative professional development.

9. Finland 1.Changes take time and preparation is never completed. Reform has to build upon the existing system and work at the policy and practical levels. To make a change – change assessment. 2.Develop new collaborative models for: School development Teacher education development Pedagogical use of social media. International network/modular programs for teacher education.

10. Germany 1.Cooperative forms of learning require collaborative forms of leadership and leadership culture, which can be encouraged and supported by teacher exchange programs. 2.Union leaders and the standing conference of the Ministers coming together in a national level focusing on common content questions in an open dialogue in addition to the traditional meetings and talks.

11. Hong Kong SAR 1.Need to bridge the rhetoric/practice gap by having both genuine dialogue among stakeholders and meaningful feedback. 2.Must go beyond the rhetoric and focus on school ecosystems – context, process, feedback, and relationships.

12. Hungary 1.The importance of the role of school leaders in public education 2.Attractiveness of the teaching profession Reform of teacher training programs Career model for teachers

13. Iceland 1.There is a consensus that we should reshape our systems of education to empower our students for the values, cultures, and skills of the 21 st century. 2.Reinforce the ties between the different stakeholders (e.g. governments, schools, unions, and universities) to stimulate the move of our societies towards the future.

14. Indonesia 1. We can share knowledge, experience, ideas, and best practices from different countries’ situation about teacher preparation, school leaders, and matching supply and demand 2. Strengthening teacher education curricula Teaching and learning process Assessment (authentic assessment) Human resource (lecturer & staff) Certification Induction program National standards for teacher recruitment Testing consisting of academic knowledge, pedagogy, physical test Teacher performance appraisals linked with continuous professional development and career pathways

15. Japan 1.Collaborative leadership and learning. 2.Enhancement of our on-going discussion on the holistic reform of preparation, recruitment, and professional development.

16. Republic of Korea 1.Collaboration between school leadership and local community. 2.Developing teacher-centered training programs.

17. Netherlands 1.Necessary skills for teaching have to be defined by the professionals themselves and not by others. 2.Introduce peer review for school leaders and teachers as the primary quality instrument.

18. New Zealand 1.We need leadership capable of running our ecosystem – not just the school – that recognizes the interdependence of school and community, able to inculcate values of collaboration, cooperation and success, resulting in respect for the role and status of the profession. 2.Establish a systemic approach to making successful practice common practice.

19. Norway 1.Create career paths for teachers that can be combined with distributed and collaborative leadership. 2.Concentrate on how to implement national reforms all the way into the classroom.

20. Poland 1.There is still a lot to be done about preparing teachers for 21 st century skills. 2.Greater autonomy for school leaders needed.

21. Singapore 1.Highlighting the importance of a whole systems approach to education reform to achieve impact and sustainability. 2.Teacher development and evaluation of student outcomes continues to be a work-in- progress, in areas of 21CC measurement and support for professional practice.

22. Slovenia 1.The importance of the social status of teachers in society. 2.We should study the success of Singapore, South Korea, and Shanghai.

23. Sweden 1.It is crucial to attract top students to the teaching profession. We must do more! 2.We must create incentives to merit high performing teachers throughout their careers!

24. Switzerland 1.High level studies (masters)and distributed leadership are the best ways to attract and keep teachers. 2.Find new ways to create careers for teachers and to integrate other professionals into teaching.

25. United Kingdom 1.Jurisdictions all recognize the importance of the trusting teachers and promoting self- efficacy. 2.The policy to promote the right atmosphere and conditions for teachers to be actively trusted and respected.

26. United States 1.Need to build a coherent, systemic, thoughtful process of engaging all actors in comprehensive, large scale change. 2.Develop and refine our collective, strategic vision to present for input at the 2 nd annual labor management collaborative conference in May 2012.