Re-imagining the professional status of teacher educators in Europe: insights from futures-oriented comparative research

This article examines the professional status of teacher educators (TEs) in Germany, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland, using data from the Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M) and uses Gardner and Shulman’s sixth commonplace of professional practice, emphasising the future-focused aspect of teacher education through ongoing programme monitoring. The findings highlight the vital role of TEs in engaging with collaborative, cross-institutional, and cross-national research – both within and across countries – to build a professional community that maintains standards and influences the development of future educators. Sustained engagement of teacher educators in studies such as TEDS-M is presented as a strategic pathway to reimagine their role, impact educational policy, and strengthen their professional identity across Europe and beyond. This approach is further supported by the publicly available methodological tools developed through TEDS-M, which enable TEs to monitor and uphold quality standards in professional education and practice.