[1][2] In fall of 2013, The Teacher Salary Project launched a Governors' Challenge to take stock of and showcase what each of the fifty state governors are doing to recruit and retain the best teaching force that can most effectively serve their states' students.
[6] The book also investigates several districts and schools that have made successful reforms on the teacher salary level.
[7] Examples of successful reform are highlighted in Denver's ProComp system, which was initiated in 2006 and rewarded teachers performance bonuses for education, student achievement, and for teaching in hard-to-staff and/or hard-to-serve positions; The Vaughn Next Center Learning in Los Angeles, California for their innovative methods in evaluating teachers and rewarding them for effective performance; and, lastly, the public school district in Helena, Montana in how they were able to free up $1 million to be used in attracting and rewarding top-quality teachers.
[8] The book has appeared on the New York Times extended best-seller list and has been featured on C-SPAN, and NPR's Marketplace.
The Teacher Salary Project developed an online interactive map to publish the latest and most innovative efforts to improve teacher pay throughout all fifty states in one comprehensive site, where governors will be applauded for their efforts to help elevate the prestige of teaching in their state and to attract talented individuals to the teaching profession.