Teachers do not intentionally use or consider research findings in making teaching decisions. This lack of use is usually blamed on research deficiencies; e.g., educational research does not address the realistic demands of classroom teaching, research findings are inconsistent, and research articles are difficult to obtain and read. A major difficulty is that teachers and researchers have different orientations, as well as different reference groups which set and apply divergent standards of professional achievement. For example, the American Educational Research Association encourages research aimed at the interests of academicians, not teachers. There are many problems to implementing any solutions. One proposed solution is to shift from a research to a research and development orientation. But such a shift would conflict with the researchers yearning to be social scientists and with the academic standards often applied in judgments of their work. Another solution is to encourage research by teachers. But, without relief from teaching demands, where would teachers find the time and energy for such efforts? Making research reports more readable is difficult because of the over-sophistication in statistical analysis. Despite the complex problems, dialogue between teachers and researchers might move educational research toward greater usefulness. (RM)