A Regional Approach to Improving Teacher Policy: Lessons from Latin America

In Latin America, as in other regions of the world, the expansion of education coverage has led to concern about safeguarding the quality of instruction. In particular, the selection, training, and professional certification of teachers and the support they receive via continuous professional development remain key policy challenges. Target 4.c of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which prioritizes the need for a well-trained and qualified teaching force, provides a call to action and an international commitment to strengthening teacher quality. Reaching this target by 2030 will require collective action across countries and sectors within the education field. In this paper, we offer an overview of the current state of teacher policies in Latin America, propose a set of policy priorities to improve teacher quality in the region, and argue for a regional and collaborative approach to strengthening teacher policies.