About ICET

About the ICET

The International Council on Education for Teaching (ICET) is a US-based International NGO with consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council. We host forums, establish partnerships and support campaigns to allow members to take an active role in addressing local and global teacher shortages. Our members include scholars, administrators, educators, policy makers, business leaders and individuals committed to providing quality educators and quality education for all.
 

History

The International Council on Education for Teaching (ICET) is an international association of policy and decision-makers in education, government and business dedicated to global development through education. ICET provides programs and services that give its members access to a worldwide resource base of organizations, programs, specialized consultative services and research and training opportunities at the university level. It is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and participates in NGO meetings and other UNESCO-sponsored conferences around the world. ICET is a NGO in consultative status (Roster) with the Economic and Social Council.

ICET as a concept began during an international teacher congress held in August in Copenhagen in 1952. Key events during the congress included the formation of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOPT) and a commitment to form a group to prepare summary reports of opinions and current practices with regard to selected topics including Education for Teaching. In 1953, a small group of teacher educators attending the WCOTP Assembly in London, formed the International Council on Education for Teaching (ICET).

Founded in 1953, ICET was part of a major cooperative effort by the world's education community to provide quality education for its citizens. Since then, ICET has continued to emphasize international cooperation in educational development to improve the quality of teacher education and to expand global educational opportunities. Scholars, administrator, practitioners from universities, colleges, departments and institutes of education as well as members of government ministries, the teaching profession and business leaders interested in educational development are invited to participate in ICET and share their ideas, research and experience with professionals from around the world.

ICET continued to meet at WCOTP Assemblies during the period between 1953 and 1957. In 1958 Dr. William J. Haggerty, president of the State University of New York at New Paltz, was elected President of the organization for a three-year term. Haggerty described the purpose of ICET in 1961 as bringing persons interested in teacher education together and to publish material about the way teachers are prepared in different parts of the world. In 1968, during the ICET World Assembly in Dublin, the newly elected President David J. Johnston (University of London) announced the creation of a permanent ICET secretariat at the offices of the AACTE in Washington DC. The move to Washington in the 70’s prompted the establishment of a Board of Directors lead by Edward C. Pomeroy from AACTE. Around the same time Dr. Frank Klassen assumed the role of Executive Director of the ICET Secretariat. Dr. Klassen led the transformation of ICET from a committed group of teacher educators to a global voice of the teacher education community.

In 1999, Dr. Darrel Bloom was elected President and oversaw the relocation of the Secretariat to National Louis University in Wheeling, Illinois. In 2012, Dr. James O’Meara was elected President and oversaw the relocation of the Secretariat to Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas. He continued to serve until 2022. The current president, Dr. Carol Hordatt Gentles (2022-2027) has moved the Secretariat to the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.