Common sense suggests that good teachers matter and some teachers have more impact on student achievement than others. According to the legislative initiatives, teacher preparation institutions, particularly university based programs, are seen as part of the problem, and key players in shaping and funding initiatives in teacher education are often outside of universities. The authors contend that the solution to the enhancement of teacher quality lies in our ability to address the overlapping systems problem. Teacher educators must understand the framing of research underpinning the teacher quality movement and how it pertains to local contexts, and be able to respond by examining our pedagogy and programs from a systemic perspective