The teacher quality gap is even more severe for English language learners than it is for low-income students and students of color, because a "highly qualified" teacher of ELLs must have special skills and abilities, write Gándara and Santibañez in this article. The authors examine how well prepared today's teachers are to provide effective instruction to ELLs, drawing on their own research as well as research by others. They conclude that neither preservice teacher education programs nor inservice professional development efforts are adequately preparing teachers to teach ELLs. Although research has found that bilingualism is an important advantage in teaching ELLs, it's unlikely that schools will be able to recruit enough bilingual teachers in the near future. Therefore, say the authors, schools should provide teachers with coaching and professional learning communities to help them develop other important skills, such as knowledge of language uses, forms, and mechanics; a feeling of efficacy with respect to helping ELLs excel; relationship-building skills; and the ability to incorporate cultural knowledge into instruction.