The troubled economy is driving school organizations to become more efficient and driving the business community to demand that schools produce graduates with different sets of skills. States are finally uniting around common student learning standards as the student population grows more diverse. And the new administration is pouring an unprecedented amount of money into education to support thoughtful innovation. To thrive, not just survive, in this new age, the very heart of schools--instruction--must undergo transformation. To harness the opportunities for large-scale instructional reform that these disruptions bring, it is the position of Learning Point Associates that states should lead the structural transformation of schooling, beginning with revolutionizing how they think about, prepare, license, deploy, and support educators. Many states have gotten a head start on improving the quality of instruction in America's schools by working to build a holistic system of educator talent management, recognizing that teachers are--and likely always will be--the critical school factor in student learning, followed closely by school leaders. Managing educator talent requires focusing on all the variables needed to successfully build human-capital capacity--preparation, recruitment, selection, induction, professional development, working conditions, compensation, and performance management--and noting where and how they intersect and build on one another. School officials in a few states are working toward implementing such an integrated system. In this white paper, the authors argue that the structural transformation of schools will necessitate a rethinking of each of the variables in the teacher career continuum and a revisualization of multiple career continua for different kinds of teachers. They further argue that states must support this process by giving schools the guidance and the flexibility to rewrite teachers' job descriptions to ensure that productive instructional transformation can occur. They begin by briefly describing what form the structural transformation of schools can take if states provide the right conditions. They then introduce the concept of neo-differentiated staffing with which forward-looking states will begin to experiment to propel and sustain the new system. Finally, they discuss how Learning Point Associates can help states stay surefooted during these tectonic times. (Contains 2 footnotes.)