Alongside the stories of these four characters is interwoven a mixture of interviews with teachers, students, families, and education leaders, as well as animation conveying startling facts surrounding the teaching profession.

[3] Outside of the main characters, the film also features vignettes and interviews with many other public school teachers as well.

American Teacher also features interviews with US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Deputy Secretary of Education Brad Jupp, the founder of The Equity Project Charter School Zeke Vanderhoek, Stanford Professor of Education Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford economist Eric Hanushek, and several regional and national teachers of the year.

The film is narrated by actor Matt Damon with music composed by San Francisco musician Thao Nguyen.

American Teacher has also received the silver award in the documentary category of the 34th Annual Philadelphia International Film Festival.