The series, organized by the Central America& Dominican Republic chapter of PREAL’s working group on the teaching profession (CCAD/GTD), will discuss and assess policies toward teachers in each participant country, and enrich dialogue on  analysis and recommendations emerging from UNESCO’s “Regional Project on Teacher Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean”. It will include one virtual regional meeting organized in collaboration with the Education and Cultural Consortium of the Central American Integration System (CECC/SICA),UNESCO/OREALC, and CEPPEas well as seven national workshops organized with PREAL’s partners in each Central American country. The national workshops will provide input to National Case Analyses on teacher policy contracted by PREAL. The goal is to stimulate debate on teacher policy, communicate best practices from other countries, and generate practical policy recommendations for national governments and key stakeholders.

The first national workshop will take place on March 13^th in San Jose, Costa Rica. Minister of Education Leonardo Garnier is expected to kick off the discussion, along with 30-40 representatives of government, local educational institutions, teachers groups, businesses, NGOs and international organizations. Two international experts will be on hand to discuss the UNESCO project and international best practices in teacher policy.

The virtual regional meeting will get underway on March 14^th and will use videoconferencing facilities at CECC/SICA’s offices. The objective is to enable CCAD/GTD members from throughout Central America to discuss and provide feedback on the findings emerging from UNESCO’S Regional Project on Teacher Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Speakers will include Jorge Sequeira, UNESCO’s director for Latin America and the Caribbean;Cristian Cox of CEPPE (atthe Catholic University of Chile), who directs the UNESCO project on teachers; Maria Eugenia Paniagua, Secretary General of CECC/SICA; Jose Luis Guzman, Coordinator of CCAD/GTD;and PREAL Co-director Marcela Gajardo. CCAD/GTD members and teacher policy specialists, leaders, and public officials in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama and the Dominican Republic will participate.