The lead story in this past weekend’s New York Times Magazine, “Building a Better Teacher,” explores what makes a good teacher and how to improve those that don’t measure up.

The government is well aware of the significance a good teacher can have on a student, and it’s working on ways to make sure all teachers in America are qualified. Currently, there’s a federal Teacher Incentive Fund in place that utilizes a merit pay system to reward effective teaching. But Doug Lemov, a former teacher, principal and charter school founder, determined that monetary incentives weren’t enough to get teachers to boost their effectiveness–they needed to be taught how.

“Building a Better Teacher” highlights Lemov’s efforts in investigating the teaching methods employed by great teachers so that he can apply those techniques to helping all teachers become great ones.

Lemov has collected his findings into a book, “Teach Like a Champion: The 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College,” due out in April.

Read the New York Times Magazine story here, and watch a clip featured on Doug Lemov’s Uncommon Schools website above.

Related: Last month’s issue of The Atlantic also featured a prominent piece on teacher quality. Click here to read “What Makes a Great Teacher?”