This paper describes the vision and key principles guiding the World Bank’s support to countries on teachers. The World Bank’s vision is to ensure all children are taught by effective teachers, with education systems supporting teachers to do their best. Effective teachers are teachers who combine deep content knowledge, high-quality practices, creativity and empathy to improve student learning today and their long-term readiness to learn. The World Bank considers it critical to observe the following principles to build cadres of effective teachers in middle and low-income countries: PRINCIPLE 1: Make teaching an attractive profession by improving its status, compensation policies and career progression structures PRINCIPLE 2: Ensure pre-service education includes a strong practicum component to ensure teachers are well-equipped to transition and perform effectively in the classroom PRINCIPLE 3: Promote meritocratic selection of teachers, followed by a probationary period, to improve the quality of the teaching force PRINCIPLE 4: Provide continuous support and motivation, in the form of high-quality in-service training and strong school leadership, to allow teachers to continually improve. PRINCIPLE 5: Use technology wisely to enhance the ability of teachers to reach every student, factoring their areas of strength and development.