Teacher continuing education policies in Latin America: between global regulation, performativity, and national mediations

Abstract

Teacher continuing education policies have become consolidated as a strategic axis of educational reforms in Latin America, particularly under the influence of multilateral organizations such as the UNESCO. In this context, the present study problematizes how global guidelines shape continuing education policies and how these policies are contextualized within national settings. The objective was to comparatively understand teacher continuing education policies in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and El Salvador, identifying convergences, trends, and specificities regarding global regulation, performativity, and national contextualizations. The research adopted a qualitative analytical-comparative approach, grounded in documentary analysis. The study corpus was primarily based on reports from the UNESCO and normative and institutional documents from the selected countries. The analysis was organized around previously defined categories, such as the conception of continuing education, its relationship with the teaching career, regulation, and articulation with evaluation processes. The findings reveal the presence of performative logics associated with mechanisms of evaluation, regulation, and teacher accountability. Furthermore, distinct models of continuing education were identified: Argentina prioritizes situated and collective approaches; Paraguay presents governance aligned with global regulations and local needs; Brazil demonstrates hybrid and fragmented characteristics; while El Salvador develops policies oriented toward institutional strengthening and teacher updating linked to educational improvement processes. It is concluded that teacher continuing education in Latin America constitutes a field marked by tensions between global rationalities and national contextualizations, in which educational policies are reinterpreted according to the historical, institutional, and territorial particularities of each country. This scenario demands more critical, contextualized, and practice-oriented proposals connected to teaching practices.