History

ITEN was inspired by the following projects:

1. 1. An international seminar on policies and practices in teacher education conducted in September 2006 by the Ministry of Education of Trinidad and Tobago. The seminar was called "New Approaches in Policy and Practice for Teacher Educators in the Americas." It included a week of dialogue, research, and planning in relation to trends in teacher education. It also included a discussion of the results of a survey of teacher educators in the Americas. One hundred participants from 25 countries of the Americas met to work on action plans that could help reform policies in the field of teacher education.
2. 2. The four-year hemispheric project of the OAS Special Multilateral Fund of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (FEMCIDI) called: "Responses to the challenge of improving the quality of recruitment and selection, initial formation, professional development and evaluation of teachers in countries of the hemisphere." As a result of this project, two sub regions (Central America and the Caribbean) have outlined the foundations for new teacher education models. In addition, the North American region outlined its research in the publication: "Challenges and Opportunities in initial teacher training. A North American perspective”.
3. 3. A seminar called "Teacher Education for 21st Century Teachers". The seminar was held in Trinidad and Tobago in October 2008. and hosted  policymakers, institutions of teacher education and teacher unions.
4. In 2010, ITEN was officially launched during the Fifth Inter-American Meeting of the Inter-American Committee on Education (CIE) was held in Guayaquil, Ecuador. ITEN’s scope was changed to become a network for teacher education.
5. On March 1 and 2, 2012, Ministers congregated in Suriname in the framework of the Seventh Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Education to analyze the current state of the teaching profession in the region, and to propose policies and strategies that strengthen the role of professional educators. Minister of the region highlighted the importance the importance of expanding access to new technologies in education, and applauded the progress made by ITEN.