We are delighted that Graham Donaldson has guest edited this collection of blogs looking in particular at the current education agenda in Scotland. As Graham says in his overview contribution, ‘pressures to “deliver” for the here and now tend to trump longer-term development” and this can have a profound impact on the structures, ethos and professionalism of education systems. Looking at how this has impacted on Scotland and its reform agenda in recent years, the collection of blogs look at how teacher education and the broader educational policy agenda might develop in the future.