This book synthesizes research to identify specific teacher behaviors that contribute to student achievement, focusing on what teachers can control (preparation, personality, and practices). Part 1 examines teacher effectiveness. Chapter 1 investigates prerequisites of effective teaching, particularly the influence of background and professional preparation. Chapter 2 examines what effective teachers are like as people, highlighting nonacademic interactions with students and aspects of teacher behavior that make teachers loved, respected, and remembered. Chapter 3 considers management and organizational skills effective teachers display, emphasizing effective learning environments in which routines and discipline are maintained as a backdrop for instruction and student engagement. Chapter 4 examines organization for instruction, particularly maximizing the amount of time allocated for instruction, communicating expectations for achievement, and planning for instructional purposes. Chapter 5 discusses implementation of instruction, emphasizing communication and complexity of instructional content using appropriate questioning techniques and supporting active learning. Chapter 6 examines monitoring student progress and potential through discussing the importance of homework and applying findings of student learning outcomes. Chapter 7 describes what an effective teacher is and how to improve effectiveness. Part 2 includes teacher skills assessment checklists, behaviors to look for in effective performance, an annotated bibliography, and references. (Contains 102 references.) (SM)