Motivation energizes, directs and sustains behaviour. Discovering what matters to teachers and how best to motivate them for sustained and improved performance is a complicated challenge. Extrinsic rewards that have been tried in the past have generally not produced the desired results. Research and experience show that teachers are most likely to value intrinsic rewards such as self-respect, responsibility and sense of accomplishment. One clear finding of the research points in a hopeful direction- helping young people to learn is the central goal of both those who enter the teaching profession and those who are working to reform public education. Therefore, new directions in participatory institutional improvement, comprehensive and meaningful staff development, and supportive teacher evaluation hold great promise for improving teachers’ professional motivation.