The George W. Bush Institute began the Middle School Matters (MSM) initiative in 2010 with the goal of increasing the number of students who are prepared for high school and postsecondary success. The initiative accomplishes this by drawing upon evidence-based research to develop practical tools and engaging support opportunities for middle grade campuses, allowing research-based practices to be brought to life in classrooms across the nation. The heart of the initiative is the deliberate connection between research and the instructional practice of educators. More specifically, MSM turned high-quality research into actionable strategies for districts, schools, and teachers to use to improve reading, writing, and math instruction -- and to improve use of data systems to identify students who are at-risk of dropping out. This report continues the Bush Institute's commitment to advancing educational outcomes broadly by sharing learnings to date about creating and implementing MSM. The report's goal is to help school leaders, policymakers, philanthropists, and others learn from our experience to better understand: (1) The power and promise of connecting high-quality research to instructional practice; (2) The importance of rigorous (and supported) implementation when seeking to improve teacher or leader performance; and (3) What to look for--both in terms of challenges and solutions--when implementing school-based improvement initiatives. [This report was produced in partnership with the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk (MCPER) at the University of Texas, Austin and Middle School Matters (MSM), a partnership between the Bush Institute and the University of Texas' MCPER.]