Local school administrators, board members, and unions are in the best position to devise the compensation, evaluation, and professional development models that work for their communities. Many changes in personnel policy will be the subject of negotiations between school boards and local unions. But the state also has a vital role to play in encouraging innovation by providing financial and other incentives to districts that are willing to experiment with alternative policies. The state should not mandate specific strategies but can nevertheless implement a set of coherent, cohesive, sustainable policies designed to enhance the quality of teaching and attract and retain able teachers, especially in high-needs fields and priority (low-performing) schools. The state can also ensure that new and innovative policies are carefully evaluated, and that new knowledge about what works and what doesn't is widely shared across schools and school districts. This policy brief makes the case that the state can intervene in six teacher-related policy areas to improve the prospects that there will be high-quality teachers in all of California's classrooms. (Contains 2 figures.)