State governments are arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession. Whether through rules or regulation approved by state boards of education or professional standards boards, executive orders issued by state school chiefs or laws passed by legislatures, state authority is far reaching. State policies have an impact on who decides to enter teaching, who stays—and everything in between.
NCTQ tracks and analyzes states' teacher policies, including key areas such as teacher preparation, evaluation, alternative certification and compensation, and offers recommendations for policy improvements to help advance teacher quality throughout the country.
State Teacher Policy Yearbook
The State Teacher Policy Yearbook provides detailed analysis of any and every state policy that impacts the teaching profession. The Yearbook is a 52-volume encyclopedia (51 state reports including the District of Columbia plus a national summary) produced every other year, measuring states' policies against a realistic blueprint for reform.
Interim editions of the Yearbook, such as the 2010 Blueprint for Change, provide shorter briefs for each state that include a state-specific action plan, updating states' progress on Yearbook goals and giving advice on how to prioritize policy needs.
Hawaii Overall 
D-
FULL TEXT: 2011 Report (168 pages)
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Area 1: Delivering well prepared teachers D
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Area 2: Expanding the pool of teachers 
F
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Area 3: Identifying effective teachers D
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Area 4: Retaining effective teachers D-
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Area 5: Exiting ineffective teachers D+