Prior research has shown that there is a correlation between teacher characteristics (e.g., pedagogical knowledge, teacher preparation/certification) and student achievement. Current political contexts call for the utilization of student achievement data to measure the effectiveness of our education systems. A solid research base of how teacher characteristics impact student achievement could help higher education and K-12 systems improve their teacher selection, induction and development processes. The purpose of this research was to build and test a model of teacher effectiveness using hierarchical linear modeling to investigate the impact of cognitive ability, pedagogical content knowledge and teachers' perceived ability to build relationships with students on student achievement. After accounting for students' prior English Language Arts achievement, teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and perceived relationships with students were not significant predictors of student achievement. For mathematics, prior math achievement and gender were significant predictors, whereas teacher characteristics were not related to student achievement. Implications of study findings to practice, research, and policy are discussed. [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.]