Lessons Learned Around Reducing Inequitable Access
to High Quality Teachers

In July 2014, the U.S. Department of Education launched the Excellent Educators for All Initiative to address the struggles low-performing schools often experience with both teacher and principal hiring issues. The initiative was intended to encourage states and districts to develop and implement plans to increase access to excellent educators. In 2016, the North Carolina State Board of Education (NCSBE) developed the Teacher Compensation Models and Advanced Teaching Roles (ATR) pilot program. Initially, a three-year pilot, the program was revised in 2018 to become an eight-year pilot through the 2024-2025 school year. This document provides insights into some of the early lessons learned in implementing the program. Download the brief.