For students in U.S. classrooms today, the odds of being assigned to an inexperienced teacher are higher than they have ever been because so many teachers, some in the top 20 percent of effectiveness are leaving the classroom in their first five years. Coggins and Diffenbaugh turn to Daniel Pink's work on drive to determine how to motivate teachers to grow within the profession. Pink's theory of motivation is built around three themes that can apply to teachers today. Mastery: Teachers need an agreed-upon standard of excellence that applies across the profession and feedback that helps them achieve that standard. Today, expectations for performance often vary from district to district, and observations are too infrequent to be useful. Purpose: Teachers need structures that enable them to pursue their interest in social justice and education policy. Teachers who wish to have an influence beyond their classroom often feel they must leave the classroom to broaden their influence. Autonomy: Teachers need flexibility in how they choose to meet the goals of their school or district. This does not mean being left alone to do as they please, but it does mean not treating them as pawns to be controlled.