Teachers and administrators must be able to identify clearly what techniques are effective at improving student learning, which ones are not, and how to develop a set of successful instructional practices based on that knowledge. Research is not typically something that many K-12 teachers think about as part of their regular planning regimen. Many teachers are so focused on getting through each day that the mere thought of trying to incorporate research into their professional practice may seem daunting and unrealistic. Action research presents a more user-friendly, practical approach to conducting research. Using this model, which is generally less formal than other types of research, teachers and building administrators conduct research for one main purpose: to improve teaching and learning. In this article, the author provides some basic steps which comprise the K-12 action research model. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)