Abstract:
This working paper explores the multifaceted role of learning outcomes across the continuum of teacher education, spanning initial teacher education, induction, and continuing professional development. Drawing on a literature review and data from 10 case studies conducted as part of Cedefop's project 'The shift to learning outcomes: Rhetoric or reality?', it examines how learning outcomes shape teachers' lifelong learning through five interrelated functions: structuring curricula and assessment, shaping career progression pathways, guiding teacher appraisal, supporting the recognition of prior learning, and strengthening professional identity and agency. Findings reveal considerable variation in how systematically learning outcomes are embedded in teacher education across countries. While they confirm the transversal potential of learning outcomes as a policy tool, their influence depends on how they are designed, interpreted and enacted in ways that empower rather than constrain teachers. The study argues that their contribution to coherence relies on local professional cultures and sustained capacity-building.