As all educators face the pressures of accountability, it has become more important to hire effective teachers skilled at fostering outstanding academic achievement. This book is designed to provide both school administrators and teachers with information and inspiration about what goes into being an effective teacher. Chapter 1 describes a variety of memorable teachers, gives a brief historical overview of the search for a definition of the "effective" teacher, and gives an introduction to 10 key traits of highly effective teachers. Chapters 2 through 6 describe the 10 traits in more detail by fleshing out the critical attributes of each trait and providing research that links the traits to student achievement. Chapter 7 describes the hiring process. The induction, orientation, and mentoring processes are featured in chapter 8. Finally, chapter 9 gives suggestions regarding how experienced teachers can be empowered and energized through personal reflection and study, staff development activities, and administrative instructional leadership. The book concludes with a set of graphic organizers, a reference list of the 10 traits with descriptions, a collection of 50 interview questions based on the 10 traits to help administrators and teachers prepare for the interview process, and a set of reflective exercises for each trait. (Contains 227 references.) (RT)