"The state of America's schools is a major concern of policy makers, educators, and parents, and new programs and ideas are constantly proposed to improve it."--BOOK JACKET. "Improving Student Learning responds by proposing an ambitious and extraordinary plan: a strategic education research program that would focus on four key questions: How can advances in research on learning be incorporated into educational practice? How can student motivation to achieve in school be increased? How can schools become organizations capable of continuous improvement? How can the use of research knowledge be increased in schools?"--BOOK JACKET. "This book is the springboard for a year-long discussion among educators, researchers, policy makers, and the potential funders - federal, state, and private - of the proposed strategic education research program. The committee offers suggestions for designing, organizing, and managing an effective strategic education research program by building a structure of interrelated networks. The book highlights such issues as how teachers can help students overcome their often naive conceptions about how the world works, the effect of expectations on school performance, and the particular challenges of teaching children from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds."--Jacket.