The Every Student Succeeds Act, the new reauthorization of the federal program designed to support the education of disadvantaged students, requires that states and districts use evidence-based interventions to support school improvement. Researchers have studied the effectiveness of education programs for decades and that effort is now producing substantial gains in knowledge of what works and what doesn't. But educators note that this kind of research is not as useful as it could be for them because it is conducted in settings that differ from theirs. They are interested in research that fits their contexts. Recently, another kind of research paradigm has emerged in which researchers work directly with educators to identify and implement paths for improvement within particular settings. This new kind of research--which has come to be known as improvement science--operates in local contexts of districts and schools. But it faces a capacity problem because there are relatively few researchers participating or able to participate in these efforts compared to the number of districts and schools that could benefit from more evidence-based programs and practices. The two approaches need to be coordinated. In the first stage, research would identify effective programs and practices writ large. In the second stage, districts or schools not meeting targets or objectives would work with improvement-science teams to adapt those research-proven programs to local contexts. The Every Student Succeeds Act also creates a new program to support research on innovations in education. Using the existing infrastructure of the regional lab network can help identify priorities for this new research on innovations. The priorities should fill gaps in knowledge and proven programs that states and districts have identified as important to them.