Elementary Focus Not So Elementary: Primary School Teacher Quality in Top-Performing Systems National Center on Education and the Economy, July 2016 This paper gives new insights into a critical driver of the success of the world’s top-performing education systems — developing elementary teachers with deep content knowledge. These high-performing systems recognize that a strong foundation in the core subjects in the early grades increases the chances that all students will achieve at higher levels throughout their schooling. The report finds that teacher preparation in Finland, Japan, Shanghai, and Hong Kong builds deep understanding of the content being taught in elementary schools as well as of how young students learn and understand that content — two essential components of highly effective teaching. The report also gives