Who or what is to blame for the inadequate quality of English-language learner (ELL) teachers? The general shortcomings in teacher education (both preservice and inservice) with regard to students outside the "mainstream" could be a possibility. The continued low achievement among ELLs and the prospect for continued ELL population growth in U.S. schools, as well as the data reporting the lack of preparation for English-language development (ELD) teachers, suggests the immediate need for an appraisal of ELL teacher quality. Research, policy constraints, and opportunities that have contributed to the general lack of quality among ELD teachers are examined in this paper. The authors begin by framing teacher quality around several important policy "levers." They follow this discussion by examining the structural factors central to teacher quality. As part of this effort, they briefly explore the role teacher education has played in the development of ELD teachers, moving next to recently developed standards for ELD teachers, and on to legislative and policy issues in licensing ELL teachers. Finally, they move from the structural to the pedagogical, discussing the knowledge base in ELD instruction, considering (and speculating) on the specific kinds of knowledge ELD teachers need to provide high-quality instruction. (Contains 1 table.)