From Alaska Airlines magazine, September, 2004:

"Every person I know who has done anything with his or her life, every person I know who is happy, has a similar story. There was a teacher somewhere who nurtured a talent, or broke down a wall, or demonstrated in dramatic fashion that things are not always what they seem. This is, of course, the special power that good teachers have. They quite literally change the course of history by changing lives."

CSTP is a non-profit organization with a simple mission - making sure Washington has the teaching force its students need to succeed. If students in Washington's public schools are to reach the high standards that have been set for them, it will be state's teaching force - current teachers and new ones - who get them there. CSTP is committed to asking the right questions about teaching quality in Washington State and to informing policy decisions that result in better teaching.

Students have a better chance of achieving the state's rigorous standards when they are taught by skilled teachers working in productive classrooms supported by a system that prizes instructional excellence. Every student in Washington deserves that opportunity.

CSTP supports the pursuit of teaching excellence by individuals (i.e. certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards) and by colleagues working in professional learning communities (i.e. lesson study).