Over the past decade, as their work has grown increasingly complex, teachers have come under increasing scrutiny. Most are coping with more students, smaller raises, and fewer resources. Educators are expected to meet higher standards and demonstrate their impact on student learning, often with an increasingly diverse and challenging student population, including more students with disabilities, more English language learners, and more students living in poverty. In addition, the quality of teachers' performance is judged more and more commonly on the basis of how students perform on standardized assessments. Most students with disabilities participate in standard assessments, and their performance in both reading and math has been discouraging. Virtually every school serves students with disabilities, and these schools, along with all other students in the schools, stand to benefit from high-quality school leadership. In this paper, the authors have reviewed state policies related to educator standards, teacher and administrator preparation, teacher and administrator certification and licensure, induction and mentoring, and on-going professional learning. The purpose of this report is to provide a knowledge base for developing tools--and to complement existing tools--that can guide the development or revision of policies that support effective teaching and school leadership and the refinement of program evaluation. The authors have addressed five main questions: (1) Do states have standards for teachers and school leaders? Do the standards address what teachers and leaders need to know to effectively educate students with disabilities and other diverse learners? (2) Do state and accrediting body preparation requirements address the needs of teachers and leaders in dealing with students with disabilities and other diverse learners? Do states require clinical experiences with students with disabilities and other diverse learners? (3) How do states evaluate the quality of educator preparation programs? (4) What are state certification/licensure requirements for teachers and school leaders? Do required assessments address what teachers and leaders need to know about educating students with disabilities and other diverse learners? and (5) Do states require and have standards for the induction, mentoring, and on-going professional learning of educators?