Educational quality and pedagogical knowledge: a critical Review

In Colombia and Latin America, educational quality has become a central issue, although it is frequently reduced to indicators, external measurements, and accountability mechanisms that obscure the teacher's role as a producer of pedagogical knowledge. This article critically analyzes the relationship between educational quality and pedagogical knowledge, based on a systematic review of literature published between 2021 and 2026, supplemented by classic references. The study examines epistemological, political, and practical tensions in this relationship. To this end, the analysis is organized around three axes: the deconstruction of the dominant discourse on educational quality, the vindication of teachers' pedagogical knowledge, and the institutional and political mediations that condition teacher training and its link to educational quality. The findings show that Colombian educational policy has privileged a technical-instrumental approach, focused on results and standards, which tends to separate teachers from their pedagogical practice. However, it recognizes the need to reclaim teachers' voices as a fundamental element for knowledge construction and educational transformation. It is concluded that understanding educational quality requires integrating pedagogical knowledge into the context, overcoming evaluative views, and valuing the teacher as a subject of knowledge committed to social justice.