This volume brings together a broad range of academics, school-based educators, and policymakers to address research, policy, and practice issues related to improving the education of English language learners in U.S. schools today. It emphasizes throughout that instructional improvements cannot be achieved via curriculum alone--teachers are key to improving the education of this large and growing population of students. The focus is on the quality of preparation and development of pre-service and in-service educators. Contributors include leading educators and researchers in the field and from nationally recognized professional development programs. Their recommendations range from promising new professional development practices to radical changes in current state and federal policy. This book is an important resource to help teacher educators, administrators, and policymakers address critical issues as they develop programs for English language learners. Following a foreword (D. Christian), this book is divided into the following nine chapters: (1) Preparing Quality Teachers for English Language Learners: An Overview of the Critical Issues (K. Tellez and H. C. Waxman); (2) Training Teachers through Their Students' First Language (L. Minaya-Rowe); (3) Proposition 227 in California: Issues for the Preparation of Quality Teachers for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students (E. E. Garcia and T. Stritikus); (4) Lessons Learned from a Research Synthesis on the Effects of Teachers' Professional Development on Culturally-Diverse Students (S. L. Knight and D. L. Wiseman); (5) Critical Issues in Developing the Teacher Corps for English Learners (P. Gandara and J. Maxwell-Jolly); (6) Quality Instruction in Reading for English Language Learners (M. Calderon); (7) Reculturing Principals as Leaders for Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (A. Reyes); (8) Successful School Leadership for English Language learners (E. F. Suttmiller and M. L. Gonzalez); and (9) Future Directions for Improving Teacher Quality for English Language Learners (H. C. Waxman, K. Tellez, and H. J. Walberg).