"Learning how to learn--in classrooms, schools and networks" (LHTL) was a major school based development and research project within the ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme. As such it was expected to work towards fulfilment of TLRP aims to work for improvement in learning outcomes, in authentic learning and teaching contexts, using multidisciplinary approaches and enhancing research capacity whilst making fundamental contributions to knowledge and, at the same time, working in partnership with users to achieve impact on policy and practice. These were ambitious goals. This article describes how the LHTL project confronted these challenges and what was learned as a result. The benefit of finding ways to build the social capital of educational research and to promote collective, open and reflective debate with user communities was, in the end, felt to outweigh the considerable costs. (Contains 1 table, 1 figure, and 13 notes.)