The goal of this book is to increase the usefulness and relevance of research to educational practice, particularly in the area of improving student learning. It proposes and describes an experiment: the establishment of a Strategic Education Research Program (SERP). The SERP plan calls for a large-scale and sharply defined program of research, demonstration, and evaluation. It is designed to be focused, collaborative, cumulative, sustained, and solutions oriented. Chapter 1 of the book discusses how research serves the needs of education and describes the basics of SERP. Chapter 2 focuses on four interrelated questions that lie at the heart of education: (1) How can advances in research on human cognition, development, and learning be incorporated into educational practice? (2) How can student engagement in the learning process and motivation to achieve in school be increased? (3) How can schools and school districts be transformed into organizations that have the capacity to continuously improve their practices? and (4) How can the use of research knowledge be increased in schools and school districts? Chapter 3 describes the SERP model and ways to develop, implement, and govern the program. (WFA)