We are all here because we recognize that well-trained and well-prepared principals, teachers, and educators are the key to improving the academic performance of students, and that improving teacher quality is the single most effective step we can take to increase student achievement and turn around struggling schools. Studies have found that 40% to 90% of the difference in test scores can be attributed to teacher quality. As all of you know, teaching is a difficult and demanding profession — some would say an art. We too often disparage teachers in general and fail to recognize how much their job has changed and how difficult teaching can be, while at the same time, we treasure the one, two, three, or four teachers in our lives