No one stakeholder group can realize lasting change on their own; nor can any reform initiative focusing on just one type of strategy create the workplace conditions needed to truly build capacity within the education profession. Rather, stakeholders must focus on collaborating, reaching common understanding, and prioritizing for ultimate impact on the quality of teachers and teaching. This book discusses research and concrete examples of practice tied to teacher quality intended to improve eight key interrelated factors: Preparation; Recruitment; Hiring; Induction; Professional Development; Compensation and Incentives; Working Conditions; and Performance Management. It offers a framework and strategies for understanding the issues that make up the teacher quality question. The author addresses the most important factor that affects student achievement--the quality of the teacher. Contents include the following chapters: (1) Teachers and Leaders in Schools: The Conditions That Support Effective Teachers and Leaders; (2) Getting the Right People on the Bus: How School Districts Manage Teacher Recruitment, Hiring, and Placement; (3) The Enduring Role of Unions: Teacher Performance Management; (4) The View from the Statehouse: Enabling Teachers, Building the Profession; and (5) Setting the Table: The Role of Institutions of Higher Education in Preparing Teachers for Success. A conclusion and an index are also included.