Initial secondary teacher education in Latin America: dilemmas and challenges

The Initial secondary teacher education has been one of the most pressing issues in the Latin American educational agenda for the last decades. While the topic has made its way into the discursive domain, it has not yet been subject to major reforms nor have there been systematic and substantive innovations in the field. This article offers a systematization of the available evidence and presents some challenges and dilemmas that emerge for the next decade. The evidence consulted shows that, while it is necessary to have a common and clear vision of secondary education and the reality of teachers, vision alone is not enough. An integral approach that takes the multiple dimensions of initial training into account is required; one that considers the profile of the entering students to the teacher training institutions nowadays, the regulations of curricula, and the pedagogical strategies that come into play, along with the trainers that employ them.