In August, the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) released the grimmest "Nation's Report Card" in 20 years. Between 2020 and 2022, America's students dropped five points in reading and seven points in math. At a time when there is empirical evidence that America's students are struggling -- the NAEP scores are just one indicator -- it seems timely to take a deeper dive into the widely reported teacher shortage. This report examines the current teacher shortage. There is controversy about its severity and data is missing from several states. There is, however, a plethora of data to learn from regarding teachers' attitudes toward their profession. The case is also made for evolving the nature of more American school systems into a "portfolio model" so that more teachers have the opportunity to flex their autonomy. Finally, the report examines some common roadblocks (and some pragmatic strategies to get around them) to creating 21st century autonomous schools. These schools are more likely to provide teachers with enhanced opportunities to innovate in the classroom in the quest of student success. Given the Nation's Report Card and other serious fallout from the response to the pandemic, there is no time to lose.