ABSTRACT
The focus of the book to this point has been on how much teachers impact student achievement, the lasting effects of teachers’ impact on student learning, and why teacher quality matters. However, it simply isn’t enough to determine how much teachers matter; we must determine what teachers do that matters so inordinately. In this chapter, the overarching issue is: What are the background qualities, dispositions, skills, and behaviors that, in fact, do make a difference in student achievement? As factors of teacher quality are explored in depth, the following guiding questions are addressed:
♦ Why should we care about what makes a teacher effective?
