As both Friedman (2007) and Wagner (2008) have eloquently emphasized in recent years, children need to learn more complex material in preparation for further education and work in the twenty-first century. Teachers, therefore, must learn instructional approaches that develop the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world. Ensuring student success necessitates new types of instruction, conducted by teachers who understand content, learning and pedagogy, who can adapt to the diverse needs of their students and who can build powerful connections between students' experiences and the goals of the curriculum. These types of changes require significant learning on the part of teachers and will not occur without support and guidance. Efforts to improve student achievement can succeed only by building the capacity of teachers to improve their instructional practice and the capacity of schools to promote teacher learning. For students to develop to their fullest, their teachers must also be supported to succeed. There are many ways to improve the quality and performance of the nation's teachers and many are being examined. However, these efforts, as important as they are, influence only a small portion of teachers and do not adequately provide what is needed. To bolster the educational workforce, more must be done, and done better, with the teachers currently in the schools.