In September 2009, the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) awarded $8 million in new Improving Teacher Quality (ITQ) grants to institutions of higher education for the purpose of assisting K-12 teachers to enhance teaching and learning in their classrooms. In addition to the new grants, the ITQ program has 14 individual grants and two master grants supporting 19 sites at various stages in large and small school districts from San Diego to Eureka. Together, the new and currently operating grants serve several thousand teachers and their students. The grants are funded through Title IIA of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to provide high-quality professional development to K-12 teachers under the guidance of a university or college. CPEC held competitions for two separate initiatives for the 2009 grant cycle: Closing the Achievement Gap in Middle Schools and the Teacher-Based Reform (T-BAR) Pilot Program. This report presents the 2009 Closing the Achievement Gap grantees with their respective partnership efforts and plans.