In July 2014, the U.S. Department of Education announced the Excellent Educators for All Initiative. Under this initiative, every state developed a Plan to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators that was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in June 2015. This initiative required that states report on whether students from low-income and minority backgrounds were shortchanged in their access to effective teachers and represents one of the most significant efforts in recent decades to ensure a high-quality education for all. This presentation will share information about the federal initiative; how states responded to it; examples, challenges and lessons learned; and what leaders at all levels - state, district, and building - should know to be meaningful contributors to ensuring excellent educators for all.