People who emphasize teaching quality and the central importance of teachers are right to do so. Where some go wrong is in thinking that teacher quality is an innate characteristic. The effectiveness of a teacher is not some inherent competence, as the phrase "teacher quality" suggests. Teacher effectiveness is contextual. Why has the topic of teacher quality suddenly reached such a crescendo? Education reform has been on the national agenda since 1983, the year of "A Nation at Risk." Only in the last few years has the teacher quality issue risen to the top. The author suggests it may be reform fatigue, possibly desperation. We are blaming teachers because of our disappointments with the results of our reforms. This article discusses the history of misguided school reforms and the problem with value-added teacher evaluation. The author has witnessed over and over that in a coherent school, most teachers can become highly effective.