This school year, Montana, a state with fewer than 8,000 teachers, had 1,000 unfilled teaching positions. Meanwhile, Dutton-Brady Public Schools, a rural district about an hour from the Canadian border, easily filled its three vacancies.

Dawn Bridges is the vice president of educational affairs for Right At School, which operates "locally inspired" before- and after-school enrichment programs and summer camps at school sites.

Linda Darling-Hammond is a world-renowned education researcher who serves as president and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute, a nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank focused on creating equitable access to education.

An educational leader with more than 24 years of experience, Baron Davis serves as the chief executive officer of The Neogenesis Group, a solution-focused and outcomes-driven educational strategy think tank.