American children deserve the one ingredient we know creates stellar learning results: excellent teachers. These teachers produce "well over" today's typical year of learning growth. Without them, even with solid teachers who produce a full year of progress, children who start behind stay behind, and few students get ahead of their beginnings--the antithesis of the American Dream. In contrast, if our nation consistently provides students with excellent teachers, we could close most of our stubborn achievement gaps in just five years, and help many children leap ahead of today's standards. This report explains why every child needs excellent teachers year after year, how the nation can now meet that need at unprecedented scale by reaching more children with excellent teachers, and what changes policymakers must support to make this possible. First, policymakers can speedily "improve the identification" of excellent teachers; the authors explain how. Second, policymakers can "clear the policy barriers" that keep excellent teachers from reaching more students for more pay. The authors outline new policies that would clear these barriers. Third, and of paramount importance, policymakers can "catalyze the will" for schools and districts to put excellent teachers in charge of every student's learning. The authors propose bold solutions to create this will, and they invite others to add to these ideas. Without will-enhancing actions, other policies and education changes will continue to fall short of their potential effects. Excellence for all students must become the new goal, and it is entirely within reach if our nation's schools offer new opportunities for excellent teachers to lead the way. (Contains 7 figures and 38 endnotes.) [Contributions by Sharon Kebschull Barrett. For related reports, see "Seizing Opportunity at the Top: How the U.S. Can Reach Every Student with an Excellent Teacher. Building an Opportunity Culture for America's Teachers. Policy Brief" (ED540000) and "Seizing Opportunity at the Top: Reaching Every Student with Excellent Teachers--Policymakers' Checklist" (ED539996).]