Under No Child Left Behind, all teachers must be highly qualified by the end of the 2005-06 school year. One of the most important ways to close the achievement gap and provide all children with a great education is to provide them great teachers. Studies have shown the single greatest effect on student achievement is teacher quality. For this reason, America must remain steadfast in meeting the goal of ensuring that every classroom has a highly qualified teacher.

To be "highly qualified," a teacher must (1) hold a bachelor's degree, (2) hold a certification or licensure to teach in the state of his or her employment, and (3) have proven knowledge of the subjects he or she teaches.

Support: Under the president's 2005 budget request, teachers receive $5.1 billion in support through training, recruitment incentives, loan forgiveness, and tax relief--up from $4.4 billion in 2004.