The paper examines the effectiveness of recent reforms in teacher education in Turkey, specifically the restructuring of programmes in university faculties of education. It first, briefly, sets the reforms of the 1990s in an historical context, prior to the 1997 Act which increased the length of compulsory schooling from 5 to 8 years, and the 1998 restructuring of faculties of education. It considers the national need for the restructuring of teacher education and the issues involved. The thrust of the paper is a study of how teacher educators across the country perceive both the changes and their effect on the quality of teacher education, methodology as a discipline, school partnerships, and relationships with the Ministry of National Education. r
As the world passes the midpoint of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), clarity about the implementation of this agenda becomes increasingly critical. Equally important is the extent to which the SDG framework is succeeding or failing in different contexts. This study explores the role and importance of the “implementers”, mid-level actors that bridge policymaking between national leaderships who set policy and grassroots efforts. Focusing on three SDGs (#2, 6 and 15), thirty (30) such implementers were selected through purposive sampling combined with subsequent reputational strategies. The knowledge and attitudes of these actors toward the goals and progress of their respective nations were evaluated through structured interviews. While the general outlook on their countries’ capacity to reach the proposed goals was positive, the detailed review of SDG targets showed signs that those in “the middle” were highly uncertain as to whether these goals could be reached. Considering the critical role of these implementers in translating policy to action, this creates serious concern about the path forward in sustainable development moving toward 2030 and beyond. Moreover, critical reconsideration of the process of implementing the SDGs needs to be undertaken to capitalize on the expertise and strategic capacity of “the middle” of sustainable development.
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