This chapter argues that expert practice is an inquiry that surfaces a hermeneutic relationship between theory, practice, and the world, with implications for new lines of questioning in the Decoding interview.

Problem: There is an existing cycle of questionable grading practices at the K-12 level. As a result, districts continue to search for innovative methods of evaluating and reporting student progress. One result of this effort has been the adoption of a standards-based grading approach. Research concerning standards-based grading implementation has…

Research shows that professional development alone does not provide adequate leadership preparation for teachers, yet many develop into established teacher leaders. The purpose of this study was to explore how teachers learn to exercise informal leadership in the schools and districts where they work. Eight elementary teachers who lived and worked…

Professional education has for decades been based on the premise that theory and practice are dichotomous, and that somehow a way must be found to enable professional practitioners to translate theory (the knowledge they acquire) into practice (what they actually do). The article examines the relationship between theory and practice, contending…

This study explored the instructional reading practices of four elementary teachers, all graduates of a small branch campus of a large Midwestern University, who obtained their Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and have been employed in public elementary schools for nearly three years. The four individuals were former university students of…

This collaborative piece written by a philosopher/action researcher and an action researcher/philosopher explores the use of practical philosophy as a tool in action research. The paper explores the connection to be made between what we refer to, roughly, as "theory" and "practice" (while never losing hold of either). The…

This paper addresses the general significance of the collection. It briefly and broadly traces the relation of the project's theoretical concerns to its purposes and its positioned nature. These concerns and this positioning are connected with tendencies in contemporary thought in social science theory and in research philosophy. The project's…

The study of hermeneutics has been a growing focus of Jewish educational research in recent years. The significance of hermeneutics to Jewish education is its concern with how human beings read and respond to texts. Several scholars have addressed hermeneutic questions from a variety of different theory-to-practice perspectives. Many of their…

Explores formal research on educational practice and practical inquiry into questions of practice. Formal research contributes to an established and general knowledge base, whereas practical inquiry is undertaken by a practitioner to improve practice. Practical inquiry is more likely to lead to immediate classroom change. (SLD)