Writing in the January/February 2010 edition of The Atlantic, Amanda Ripley follows the efforts of the U.S. nonprofit organization Teach for America to distill the essential qualities of teachers who really make a difference for students in elementary and high schools. She reports that the following six characteristics are what set great teachers apart: 1) setting big goals for students, 2) constantly looking for ways to improve their effectiveness and reevaluating what they are doing, 3) recruiting students and families to become part of the process, 4) staying focused, ensuring that everything they do contributes to student learning, 5) planning extensively, working backwards from the desired outcomes, and 6) working relentlessly, refusing to surrender to the threats of poverty, bureaucracy, and low budgets.  Read the full article here.