From coast to coast, there is a wave of new programs designed to increase the number of math, science, and special education teachers. Even just a year ago, these experimental programs were hard to find, suggesting that the notion of paying some teachers more than others, by virtue of what they teach, is gaining some traction.

Los Angeles: Last month, the City of Angels launched an incentive package designed to draw teachers in these fields into LA Unified's lowest-performing schools. The three-pronged approach offers these folks a $5,000 recruitment bonus, plus $5,000 in tuition reimbursement, and finally a $5,000 retention sweetener for those who remain for at least three years.

New York: In the Big Apple, science, math and special education teachers are eagerly responding to a $14,600 housing subsidy incentive introduced last spring. With 91 teachers already expected to receive subsidies, the City is quickly closing in on its target of 100 program participants.

Massachusetts: The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth is collaborating with local districts to attract career-switchers and recent liberal arts graduates to teach math and science. Program participants will be placed in classrooms with highly qualified teachers and receive a stipend for one year. This initiative is modeled after a similar program at UMass-Amherst called "180 Days," which has demonstrated that applicants with a full year of this apprenticeship-style experience in the classroom are more successful than most first-year teachers.

"There are a lot of people in mid-career who don't want to go back to school to get a teacher's degree, so this will provide a one-year alternative," center Director Karen O'Connor said.