Supporting Instructional Improvement 1 Supporting Instructional Improvement:

With the passage of No Child Left Behind, all schools are under pressure to improve the achievement of all students. At the same time, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners increasingly recognize that improving student outcomes is dependent on improving instruction: the day-to-day interactions between teachers and students. For the past five years, we and our colleagues at the Study of Instructional Improvement at the University of Michigan have conducted research on the strategies used by Accelerated Schools Project (ASP), America's Choice (AC), and Success for All (SFA) for improving instruction and student learning.1 While the development of instructional techniques and materials is central to ASP, AC, and SFA, all three programs recognize that effective use of these techniques and materials is dependent on multiple strategies supporting teacher learning, particularly in schools where conditions are the most challenging. The objective of this article is to help school leaders and teachers consider how comprehensive school reform programs can support instructional improvement by highlighting promising strategies for teacher learning