The authors propose a comprehensive plan for licensing analogous to those in other professions. An extensive analysis of licensing examination and preparation grounds specific proposals for new assessments for teachers based on complex, real-life teaching tasks. The book also describes the kind of rigorous preparation program teachers should experience along with designed and supervised internship in specially designated professional development schools.This book offers much-needed, practical advice on how to prepare and evaluate teachers for the challenging work they must accomplish. Agreement on standards for teacher preparation and licensing—among teachers, policymakers, and lay people—would go a long way toward improving the quality of education for children while also strengthening and improving the teaching profession itself.