This paper was prepared for the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment and Training Taskforce on Teacher Quality & Educational Leadership. It covers the following broad areas: (1) How can a national definition of "Good Teaching" be developed, and what should it include?; (2) What should a "National Standards Framework" look like, and what structure is desirable?; (3) How could/should a "National Standards Framework" be used; and (4) Methods for assessing performance against standards, including how teacher performance can be assessed using standards in ways that are reliable, valid, and productive in terms of recognition and professional development. It is divided into the following sections: (1) Definitions and Purposes for Standards; (2) Defining Performance-Based Teaching Standards; (3) Teaching Standards: Whose Responsibility; and (4) A National Standards Framework: Issues and Areas for Action. (Contains 7 tables, 1 diagram, and 2 boxes. Appended are the following: (1) PRAXIS III Standards Framework (ETS); and (2) A proposed (Iowa) framework of teaching standards and career stages (for local adaptation).