Teacher quality is the most crucial component in promoting student learning. For all the controversy about No Child Left Behind, one underlying emphasis of the federal law that is irrefutable is the importance placed on teacher quality. Therefore, a school organization committed to excellence must recruit and select outstanding teachers. The Obama administration also recognizes the importance of teacher quality. Teacher excellence is a foundation of the Race to the Top funds, competitive grants available to states as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The Race to the Top program seeks to reward states that take innovative approaches to teacher quality and selection. However, too often the process of teacher selection is left to chance as districts fail to align their expectations for teaching excellence with the teacher selection process in a systematic way. Furthermore, many administrators have blind spots when it comes to hiring and may make repeated mistakes in selecting teachers that can have ongoing consequences. Teacher selection deserves rigorous examination to make sure that core school values, best practice in pedagogy, and student outcomes are aligned. This foundation is critical to implement a selection process that identifies the teachers with the best likelihood to improve student learning in the classroom.