At least 36 states have made some changes to their teacher policies by passing more than 100 bills to strengthen preparation and licensure standards and provide additional funding for teacher mentoring and professional development. The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) has been a catalyst in bringing teacher policy issues to the forefront of federal and state education agendas and is working in several partner states toward enacting policies based on recommendations put forth in its publication, "What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future." Each partner state commissioned a status of teaching report using a policy inventory created by NCTAF (which addresses getting serious about standards, reinventing teacher preparation and professional development, fixing teacher recruitment and putting qualified teachers in every classroom, encouraging and rewarding teacher knowledge and skills, and creating schools organized for student and teacher success). This paper outlines common themes found across all state inventories and examines three states (North Carolina, Missouri, and Maine) to provide insight into how states are tackling teacher quality issues and how various policy strategies are being implemented. Common themes include: clear measurable, objective standards for teacher preparation and licensure are not common, student and teacher standards are not well aligned, and teacher supply and demand varies tremendously across districts. (SM)