In recent times there has been much talk about the importance of teacher quality in the "formula" for student achievement. Indeed, it is believed by many experts that the presence of a well-qualified, effective teacher is the most critical determinant of students’ success. Assuming their belief is correct, the question becomes what does it mean to be a "high quality" teacher?
Unfortunately the current markers for quality teaching are overwhelmingly focused on that teacher’s ability to raise students’ standardized test scores. But what about the myriad other qualities that effective teachers possess that cannot necessarily be measured by a test?
I went searching for answers during the month of January from a variety of sources to develop a more holistic picture of what a quality teacher is. I interviewed a number of people working successfully in and around the Los Angeles community about their memories of teachers that they considered to be of high quality. Their responses were as diverse as the interviewees themselves, but all lend to a better understanding of the broad and beautiful collage of what makes a good teacher.
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 Pam Brady
Vice President of Education of the California PTA.
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Daniel Solorzano
Associate Professor of Sociology and the Division Head
of the Social Sciences and Comparative
Education department at UCLA.
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Constance Rice
Co-founder of the Advancement Project, a legal and policy action group that promotes universal opportunity and a racially just democracy.
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Amy Santo
Doctoral student in Urban Planning at UCLA, teaches arts
education in public schools and works with the
Brazil Cultural Center, an organization that
performs and teaches art to youth
around the world.
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Daniel Takaji
Staff Attorney at the ACLU
(American Civil Liberties Union).
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Tamar Igoyan
Tamar Igoyan works as a Reading Center Coordinator for the
Singleton Adult Literacy Center Central Library
which offers reading and writing instruction
to adults 18 and older.
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Jason VanVeen
Jason Vanveen owns a production
company and film web site entitled Pistola.com
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José Ramírez
Artist and a fifth grade teacher at Esperalda
Elementary in the Pico-Union Neighborhood
of Los Angeles. He has been painting for
sixteen years and has worked on mural
projects for the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art and the Natural
History Museum of LA.
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Allison Griffith
Assistant Director of the Housing Program at the YWCA in Santa Monica. She works with young women emancipated from the foster care system to help them develop savings and continue their education.
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Dorothy Johnson Taylor
Volunteer Director of the Skid Row Ministry in West
Angeles, an organization that assists thousands
of people annually with mobile food service,
spiritual outreach, disaster relief, drug
abuse centers, retirement homes,
and daycare centers.
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