This report explains the growing evidence that investments in teacher knowledge are among the most productive means for increasing student learning. The creation of rigorous professional standards for teachers is one sign of progress in this area. However, new teaching standards will have little import for students, particularly the most…

This report gauges progress toward achieving high quality teaching in every classroom, using data about teaching conditions that are new since publication of an earlier report by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. Section 1, "Doing What Matters Most: Investing in Quality Teaching," describes the Commission's original…