Improving education in the United States requires school districts to make smart decisions. By examining the gaps between what research says works and what schools actually do, Wiliam provides evidence-based changes to implement for successful school improvement efforts. This book helps districts, school leaders, and stakeholders learn how to become critical consumers of educational research capable of increasing student achievement. This book will help educators: Build a curriculum focused on developing knowledge Support a culture where every teacher improves Apply a framework for evaluating new district initiatives Contents: Acknowledgments About the Author Foreword Introduction Section 1 Chapter 1: Why We Need to Improve American Education Section 2 Chapter 2: Getting Smarter People Into Teaching Chapter 3: Firing Bad Teachers Chapter 4: Paying Good Teachers More Chapter 5: Reducing Class Size Chapter 6: Copying Other Countries Chapter 7: Expanding School Choice Section 3 Chapter 8: Moving Forward Chapter 9: Why Curriculum Matters Chapter 10: A Knowledge-Rich Curriculum Chapter 11: Improving the Teachers We Have Chapter 12: Creating a Learning Environment for Educators Chapter 13: Pulling It All Together Appendix References Index