Most educators deny that value judgments play a role in translating educational research into practice, but Ferrero urges acknowledgement our beliefs as the first step toward fulfilling our broader objectives for schooling in a democratic society. U.S. educators and citizens share certain broad beliefs about, and goals for, the education of children; however, they differ in important and persistent ways about the implications of these shared values for educational theory and practice. These differences are philosophical, not empirical. In order to be research-based in the approach to school reform and teaching practice, educators tend to suppress the inevitable philosophical judgments that intervene between research and practice, and that lie at the heart of the enterprise for most educators. Fortunately, the recent trends away from "one size fits all" comprehensive schooling toward small learning communities and multiple pathways to college creates an opportunity to become more articulate about our philosophical differences and use them purposefully as the bases for creating more coherent communities of practice in a landscape that provides diverse, high-quality schooling options for children and families. The author suggests that we can get started by getting a better grip on where educators and the public generally agree--or disagree--about what a good school looks like and how these values mediate "what we know" from the research.