Physics education researchers study a wide range of topics. Some of these topics are more directly related to improving instruction than others. In this talk, I will focus on a few topics most directly related to improving student learning in introductory physics courses. I will present an overview of several proven physics education research (PER) based curricula and associated instruments for assessing student learning. I will then discuss my own successes and failures implementing PER based materials in less than ideal circumstances. Finally, I will outline several lower cost but effective routes to implementing research based materials in some typical settings.