Every school year, districts around the country spend big on professional development. What do they get for their money? What should they be doing differently? And how can journalists write about these questions more effectively? Moderator Stephen Sawchuk of Education Week is joined by:

• Karen Hawley Miles, Education Resource Strategies
• Judy Zimny, ASCD
• Ted Preston, Achievement Network

Vickie Bernstein, Executive Director of Teacher Recruitment and Quality, NYC Dept. of Education

Spencer Kympton, Vice President of Recruiting, Teach for America

Dan Goldhaber, Director, Center for Education Data and Research

This is the first in a series of podcasts on teacher quality, drawn from EWA's Feb. 18, 2011 conference at the Carnegie Corporation. 

What makes a good teacher? How do schools of education know which skills tomorrow's educators will need? Our panel, moderated by EWA Public Editor Linda Perlstein, tries to get to the bottom of these big questions with an eye toward guiding reporters through the murky waters of teacher education standards. 

• Hamilton Lankford, SUNY Albany and Teacher Pathways Project
• Sharon Robinson, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
• Kate Walsh, National Council on Teacher Quality