This report, in a booklet format, presents seven recommendations for increasing the numbers of highly qualified teachers for the middle grades. The recommendations focus on content mastery and professional support for both preservice and inservice teachers. The report also addresses the following topics: (1) what it means to be a highly qualified teacher in the middle grades; (2) whether highly qualified teachers improve student achievement in the middle grades; (3) the status of teachers in 16 Southern states participating in the Southern Regional Educational Board State Middle Grades Consortium; (4) what states and districts can do to get more highly qualified teachers in the middle grades; and (5) a comprehensive improvement framework for making middle grades work. The text is supplemented by tables, graphs, and sidebar material. (WFA)