North Carolina is well on its way to disrupting an industrial-model staffing structure that stifles teacher collaboration, limits professional advancement, and deprives students’ access to effective educators. For the past eight years, BEST NC has championed an innovative new approach to school staffing and compensation called Advanced Teaching Roles (ATR). Under ATR, schools implement modern, locally-customized organizational models that elevate effective educators into leadership roles – and pays them more in the process. ATR models are extending the reach of effective teachers to more students, providing meaningful career opportunities for effective teachers, and ensuring embedded professional support for all teachers. Originally established in 2016 as a pilot program, BEST NC has led the way as ATR has been refined and expanded, becoming a permanent part of state statute in 2020 and now implemented in ~20% of North Carolina school districts. Over 1,000 ATR teachers are currently in leadership roles and district demand continues to grow as we move steadily toward statewide implementation. BEST NC is committed to a deliberate, long- haul approach that has demonstrated the effectiveness of ATR. We know this massive cultural shift must happen over many years, as the “coalition of the willing” expands strategically toward statewide adoption.