Licensing procedures, teacher effectiveness and reasonable expectations

Research has found differences in students?? abilities, attitudes, and family and community background to be the largest source of variation in student learning, but these are difficult for policymakers to influence, at least in the short run. However, the single most significant school variable affecting student achievement is ??teacher quality??, and this is potentially open to policy influence. After giving an overview over teacher qualification requirements in the UK, the USA, France, New Zealand and a few other countries, this paper addresses the rationale of licensing examinations. It then considers the possible consequences of implementing them in a country such as Israel, which has recently been contemplating teacher training and licensing as part of a wider educational reform.