Improving student learning is the primary goal of every teacher of algebra. Teachers seek strategies to help all students learn important algebra content and develop mathematical practices. The new Institute of Education Sciences[IES] practice guide, "Teaching Strategies for Improving Algebra Knowledge in Middle and High School Students" (Star et al. 2015), provides teachers with specific, evidence-based recommendations that address the challenges of teaching algebra to secondary school students. The guide synthesizes the best available research, according to rigorous What Works Clearinghouse design standards (information about these standards is available at http://whatworks.ed.gov), and offers a list of actionable recommendations based on that evidence. In this article, the authors present three recommendations from the IES guide and associated actions. They add their review of the recommendations in terms of specific ways to use student work and examples, to capitalize on multiple representations and structure, and to engage students in alternative solutions. Whether they are implementing the Common Core State Standards or their own state standards and regardless of their adopted curriculum, teachers of algebra can benefit from collaborative instructional planning that uses these recommendations and actions. In addition, incorporating these ideas into teacher education programs can better prepare prospective teachers for their initial classroom experiences, which often are in algebra settings.