A review of the literature reveals little evidence that classroom decision making is an important component in teaching effectiveness. Studies investigating decision making before (preactive) and during (interactive) instruction indicate that teachers are preoccupied with activity flow and procedural concerns rather than with increasing student understanding. Three lines of reading research--teacher decisions about reading groups, teacher interruption behavior during children's reading, and teacher use of basal materials--also reveal little decision making behavior. These findings may indicate, however, not that teachers fail to make instructional decisions, but that research methodology lacks the sophistication to identify teacher decision making. Current research may make false assumptions about how teachers make use of knowledge, may fail to reflect the complexity of instruction itself, or may not understand teachers' limited control over instructional materials or practices. (MM)