Barbara Ischinger, director OECD Directorate for Education, on the Informal Meeting for Ministers of Education, 24-9-09 Goteborg, presented her ideas about this question here.

Her basic point is that the quality of educational outcomes cannot exceed the quality of teachers.
But teachers deserve to get appraisal or feedback, schoolevaluation and good school leadership.

Speakers at the meeting (change videos using the plus-sign – more information under “i”)