In this commentary, Tucker asserts that countries that perform well on international comparisons of student achievement all take a different approach to ensuring teacher quality than the United States does. These top-performing countries have established high standards for getting into schools of education; they are moving teacher education programs into research universities; they require that teachers be expert in the subjects they teach; they ensure that new teachers have been thoroughly trained in their craft; and they compensate teachers well. The United States does the opposite on almost every point. What's more, the U.S. reform strategy to improve teacher quality--reward the best teachers and get rid of the worst--will only make things worse, says Tucker. He advocates that the United States reverse direction and "embrace the system for improving teacher quality that the top-performing countries embraced years ago."