JOHN CHUBB: The Best Teachers In The World: Why we don’t have them and how we could get them. “Of those elements that are within the control of schools, teachers are the most important determinant of how much students achieve. . . . For all the talk among political leaders about being first in the world in math and science or otherwise having the best schools and highest achievement in the world, there is little talk about having the best teachers. Yet, research is increasingly clear that that is exactly what the aim of top achievement requires. If the United States wants the best achievement in the world, it will need to seek out, train, and retain the best teachers in the world. The United States is not currently serious about that aim.”