The field of developmental education has undergone substantial change in recent years. It seems there are two primary forces driving reform at this time. The first is policy makers who believe reform is necessary in order for developmental education to perform more effectively. The second are opportunists and for-profit companies using social, economic, and political influence to promote reform through innovations, commercialized instructional models, and/or technology-based products. As these changes are implemented, developmental education professionals will be challenged to rethink and reformulate their practice. Administrators and practitioners must work to intricately define models and methods of instruction; they will likely need to redefine the roles of teachers and other personnel in redesigned program and classroom structures. Ultimately, they will be accountable for implementing the solutions that are being promoted and evaluating the results of reform. It is appropriate at this time to listen to developmental education professionals regarding critical components of practice: What research is needed to inform meaningful practice in developmental education? This study has been undertaken to poll the members of The National Association for Developmental Education (NADE), as the largest professional association in the field, to determine their ideas and beliefs about the research agenda on which the field of developmental education should focus in the coming years. This column is the first of two that will describe and present the findings of the study.