Except for parents, no other individual has as much influence on a child's future as their teacher. Teachers are the most determining factor of educational quality within the school system, and the evidence of their impact accumulates year after year across new countries and contexts.
The reason is structural as well as pedagogical. In many countries in Latin America, teachers account for up to 95% of the education budget. This means that ensuring the best performance from teachers is not only a matter of educational quality, but also in terms of efficiency in the use of public resources.
The learning crisis impacting the region is, to a large extent, a teaching crisis. Studies have highlighted the crucial role that teaching practices play in student learning outcomes. An effective teacher does not only transmit knowledge: they prepare students to seek, analyze, and use information critically, and help them develop socio-emotional skills that are difficult to measure, but that pay dividends throughout life, such as perseverance, resilience, and teamwork.
The World Bank Group views teacher quality as the most powerful lever for improving learning in Latin America and the Caribbean.