ABSTRACT
Estonia is in the crossing area of cultures and has been under the power of big nations for millennia. It regained independence in 1991 and gained European Union (EU) membership in 2004. The educational system consists of state, municipal, public, and private institutions working mainly in Estonian. Success in education (PISA, etc.) is a result of long-term systemic work for national and school curriculum development, teacher initial education, continuing professional learning, and preparation of future scenarios and strategies of national and education development. Estonia had a well-developed nationwide regulated and financed CPD model for teacher lifelong learning. After regaining independence, the system started to transform, to be governed mainly by schools and teachers. Expected teacher competencies are linked to the qualification achieved (teacher, Master Teacher, etc.) and include CPD, e-learning-teaching, self-development, ethics, and social skills. The pandemic period accelerated innovative processes. Many single manifestations became pervasive practices with visible impact in everyday life, evidenced by research.
