This study examined teacher education background and developmentally based teaching practices as predictors of student achievement in kindergarten. Participants were approximately 17,000 kindergarteners and 3,000 teachers from a national longitudinal study. Using multilevel regression and hierarchical linear models, this study found that only Elementary Certification was associated with math achievement in kindergarten, and this association was negative. Additionally, while certain aspects of a teacher education background (including Early Childhood Certification and Early Education coursework) predict different developmentally based practices, these developmentally based practices were not found to have a significant association with Spring kindergarten student achievement in either reading or math. Further, the only teacher characteristic found to significantly influence spring achievement scores in both math and reading was instructional time. This study's findings stress the importance of family and individual characteristics as predictors of kindergarten student achievement and the necessity to continue research in these areas. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]