Given the centrality of subject matter to teaching, the design, implementation, and effects of policy related to teaching are unlikely to be understood?by analysts and policymakers alike?unless they explicitly examine the interaction of subject matter with these policies. In this article, we offer a way of anticipating where and how subject matter considerations can enter into the discourse about policies that seek improvement in teaching and learning. To accomplish this goal, we first examine conceptually the connections between instructional improvement policies and school subjects, treated as a crucial context in which such policies are enacted. We then explore three categories of educational policy characterized by their intended focus on school subjects, and demonstrate for each how subject matter contexts are likely to interact with policy. We close with reflections about the puzzles and possibilities this analysis raises for the practice of policy research.