While many studies attest that some teachers contribute more to their students' academic growth than other teachers, research has not been very successful at identifying the specific teacher qualifications, characteristics, and classroom practices that are most likely to improve student learning. Unfortunately, this is just the information that educational policymakers need most. In an effort to pinpoint teacher quality variables across studies for which there is strong agreement, Goe (2007) recently undertook a research synthesis for the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality. This particular synthesis--which is available online (www.ncctq.org/link.php)--examines dozens of research studies that link a number of teacher quality variables to student achievement, as measured by standardized tests. While many studies have been conducted on the variables described in the following section, Goe focused only on studies in which authors tied their findings explicitly to teacher quality. Goe's analysis unearths many contradictory and weak conclusions, but the synthesis also identifies a few strong and consistent predictors of student achievement. This Research and Policy Brief culls the associations between teacher quality and student achievement that Goe identifies, with the goal of elucidating trends relevant to current educational policymaking. (Contains 2 tables.)