Teachers and learning for sustainability: rights, democracy and social justice

Educational institutions have an important role in the achievement of the United Nations’ sixteenth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies. In Scotland all teachers must meet Professional Standards, at the heart of which is a set of goods that include sustainability, democracy, equality, human rights, and social justice. The contemporary parlous state of certain social goods and basic liberties is a spur to a long-overdue interrogation of key values and commitments in the context of Learning for Sustainability. This article aims to explore and problematize the notion of Learning for Sustainability in relation to the work of the teacher.