Staffing each classroom with an effective teacher is the most important function of a school district. Doing so requires strategic personnel policies and smart practices. The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), working with its local partner, the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, undertook an analysis of the Boston Public Schools' existing teacher policies, which included reviewing the teachers' contract and other relevant documents; collecting personnel data and talking with local stakeholders to learn how the rules play out in practice; and comparing Boston to other nearby districts, as well as districts throughout the country. The researchers worked to identify areas in which better policies--adopted by both the district and the state--would lead to improved teacher quality, even absent other factors such as increased funding or better school leadership. NCTQ must emphasize that Boston has made great strides over the past decade in improving its human capital policies; however, much work needs to be done to ensure that every child has an effective teacher. The Impact of Teachers' Advanced Degrees on Student Learning (Metin Ozdemir and Wendy Stevenson) is appended. (Contains 29 figures and 38 footnotes.)