The purpose of this paper is to review the research literature on effects produced by elementary school teachers and to identify implications of the findings for the early education of children prior to the first grade. Current issues in the research on teacher effects are discussed under the following headings: (1) teachers do make a difference; (2) learning occurs in multiple contexts; (3) students are active participants; (4) teachers are decision-makers; and (5) uses of the research on teaching. The review indicates that current research on teaching can inform early educators and researchers about the complexities of teaching and learning, and the importance of the teacher role. Implications are discussed in terms of purposes of early education, relevant findings from the research on teaching, and relevant considerations for developing a research agenda for early education. Such considerations include the role of learning in development, the impact of different early childhood contexts, the changing nature of the child, and the changing nature of the teacher as decision-maker. It is argued that early education needs to move beyond its psychological and theoretical basis to develop an empirical base specific to early education in order to verify the assumptions early childhood makes about meaningful teacher practices. A 79-item reference list concludes the document. (RH)