Since the announcement in 1999 of a plan to tie teachers' salary increases to student achievement by Denver Public Schools, there has been a flood of nationwide policy activity around teacher compensation. This paper examines pay plans in Denver, Toledo, Minneapolis, and New York City, offering a snapshot of the changing landscape of teacher compensation while suggesting a number of factors and conditions that contribute to developing and implementing these new forms of teacher pay. (Contains 8 online resources and 11 footnotes.)