Interest in education is at an unprecedented high in the United States. At the Federal and state levels, legislative mandates concerning high-quality teachers and student performance benchmarks are driving much of what classroom teachers do and children experience. At the local level, tensions about what to do about low-performing schools, how to improve the quality of teaching, and how to raise test scores through balanced and meaningful instructional experiences are critical parts of educators' work. Robert C. Pianta, PhD addresses such questions as: How does higher education support federal, state, and local efforts to ensure a high-quality teacher for every child?; What really are the ingredients of a high-quality classroom?; If teachers matter (and they do), what aspects of teaching lead to increased student performance?; and Can the public education system address the needs of less advantaged students or are private schools a better option? From the Series:UVA NewsMakers 2005