Standards of the Sustainable Teacher: An Exploratory Study Considering the UNESCO Framework and the SDGs 2030

Teacher standards represent the cornerstone for achieving high-quality and sustainable education, as they contribute to building teachers' capacities in line with global variables and community needs, which enhances their role in achieving the SDGs 2030. The current study aims to derive proposed standards for the sustainable teacher based on the global framework for professional standards for teaching developed by the Education International (EI) in cooperation with UNESCO and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030. The aim is to address the gap in the existence of comprehensive standards that link the professional competencies required for the teacher with the requirements of sustainability education, which contributes to the development of teacher preparation programs in colleges of education. The study problem is determined by answering two main questions: What are the proposed standards for sustainable teachers? What are the recommendations necessary to develop sustainable teacher preparation programs based on these standards? The study used the qualitative approach, based on focus groups that include experts to analyze international standards and SDGs 2030, evaluate the suitability of the proposed standards, and formulate recommendations for developing teacher preparation programs. The study reached a list of sustainable teacher standards, which included 5 main fields including 14 standards with 38 performance indicators. It also provided recommendations directed at developing teacher preparation programs in colleges of education in a way that enhances the achievement of SDGs 2030.