Policymakers and educators have attempted to "reform" or fix schools in different ways. However studies suggest these reforms have produced, at best, mixed results (Fullan, 2011; Taylor & Tyler, 2012; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2015) and did little to close racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps (Reardon et al., 2013). Through a review of scientific studies of teaching strategies in classrooms with diverse learners, a team at McREL International has discovered (or perhaps re-discovered) that best first instruction has tremendous impact on student learning--equivalent to months or years of additional learning while closing achievement gaps. The white paper defines what is best first instruction and creates a framework for implementation in a classroom. For a more in-depth presentation and analysis of the review, McREL with ASCD published the book "The New Classroom Instruction That Works: The Best Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement" (ED624202).