"Education Matters" is the monthly newsletter of the Association of American Educators (AAE), an organization dedicated to advancing the American teaching profession through personal growth, professional development, teacher advocacy and protection. This issue of the newsletter includes: (1) The Teacher Factor: Great Teachers Are the Key to Real Progress (Mike Petrilli); (2) Blueprint for Change; (3) Winning Big in the Classroom: Producing Great Students Doesn't Have to be a "Roll of the Dice" (Kevin Daniel); (4) News from Washington, D.C.: Reports from AAE's Office in the Nation's Capital; (5) Have Gun Will Teach: Nebraska Legislator Proposes Arming Teachers; and (6) Opinion and News Analysis: George Washington Would Not Be Happy (Chester E. Finn, Jr., and Kathleen Porter-Magee).