summary A parity of prestige is fundamental to tomorrow's multi‐cultural, multilingual Europe. It is an obligation for all educational systems, whether large or small, sovereign or second‐tier, autonomous or struggling for independence. This mini‐tour of Europe's small communities is dedicated to the promotion of this parity, and it takes teacher education as its entry‐point. A real first’ for the European Journal of Teacher Education, this introduction is dedicated to the examination of teacher‐education policies in those communities which history has marginalised in territory, in population or in legal status. Do they have specific characteristics? Are there ways in which they are interdependent? This survey presents five case studies, most of them located in the centre of Europe (Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Ticino, the Orisons). But Europe offers many instances: Malta, Cyprus, Friesland, the German communities in Belgium and Denmark, Monaco, San Marino, Scotland, Ireland, the Basque countries, ...