International assessments such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) have exhibited United States students specifically in the fourth and eighth grades, are not performing well when compared to their international peers. Educational stakeholders including parents, teachers, politicians, and the business community are putting more pressure on schools to improve their student's academic performance. The stakeholders want improved performance on not only American assessments but also on international tests. The purpose of the current qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of educators in the United States to investigate the possible use of alternative educational innovations as a means for bridging the achievement gap between learners. The qualitative research study involved investigating the perceptions of 52 educational professionals through an online web-based survey and analyzing the data using the three steps outlined by Merriam. Two themes emerged from the data and two subthemes were revealed. The themes were finances and training and professional development. The subthemes were funding allocation and teacher compensation. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]