Teacher training policies and their implementation: A case study of CONAFE

Abstract

This article analyzes the implementation of the teacher education policy of the National Council for Educational Development (CONAFE) in Mexico, with the aim of identifying the gap between its regulatory design and its enactment in highly marginalized rural and Indigenous contexts. The study is grounded in a public policy analysis framework and in a situated teacher education approach, considering training needs from a contextualized perspective in which subjects, knowledge, experiences, and understandings converge. The study was conducted with 274 community educators affiliated with CONAFE in the state of Hidalgo. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, using a descriptive-analytical case study design that combines quantitative and qualitative techniques to provide a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon under investigation. The findings indicate that although the ABCD training model and the 240-hour initial course are positively valued by a segment of participants, structural limitations persist. These include issues related to pedagogical relevance, weaknesses in tutorial mentoring, and the absence of sustained professional career pathways. The study provides empirical evidence on the challenges of teacher education within compensatory schemes and contributes to the international debate on the implementation of educational policies in territories characterized by social inequality and institutional precarity.