Linda Darling-Hammond is a leading voice on the relationship between federal policy and what happens in districts and classrooms. As advisor to newly elected President Barack Obama, both during his campaign and into his administration, she is helping to shape the future of federal policy in education. Darling-Hammond was a keynote speaker at NSDC’s 40th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., in December 2008. During her keynote, she introduced preliminary findings from the first year of a threeyear study she is leading on the state of professional learning in the U.S. You can read more about the study on pp. 42-50. After her speech, Darling-Hammond answered several questions from conference participants. A selection of questions and answers is included here. EQUITY AND ACHIEVEMENT GAP Q: What