Healing and Hacking the Research-Practice Divide: A Teacher's Guide to Educational Research
Research should serve teachers—not the other way around.
Many teachers have experienced "the research" as something done to them rather than for them—findings handed down without context, mandates without mechanisms, tools that consume instructional time without improving it. Healing and Hacking the Research–Practice Divide argues that this situation isn't inevitable. Research can be powerful, humanizing, and liberatory—but only when it travels with humility, and only when teacher knowledge is recognized as evidence, too.
Rachael Gabriel and Kate Roberts offer practical tools, actionable frameworks, and honest analysis of how research moves through schools—and where it breaks down. Learn to evaluate studies, recognize their limits, and build inquiry practices that genuinely center your students, your context, and your professional knowledge.
This important guide offers tools teachers need to demystify research data and translate debate into informed practice. Inside you'll find:
- A definition of what "good" research is, what it provides, and its realistic limits
- Practical frameworks for evaluating research and integrating it into your teaching
- Tools for understanding why the research–practice divide exists—and who benefits from keeping it in place
- Actionable resources for collective classroom inquiry
The divide between research and practice isn't just a knowledge gap. It's a structural problem. This book gives you the language, the frameworks, and the confidence to name that gap, navigate it, and begin to heal it.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
CHAPTER 1: “What the research says . . .”: What Is Research Good for, and What Are Its Limits?
What is research anyway?
But what does this have to do with me?
How this book might serve you
CHAPTER 2: “Does anyone know the answer?”: The Wisdom Needed to Build Knowledge
Distinguishing between knowledge, information, and wisdom
How to use research with integrity
Wise research in practice
CHAPTER 3: “What can we do?”: Hacking the Research–Teaching Relationship
More than a new meeting protocol, less than a revolution
Hacking our way to a new reality
Access, adaptability, and art: Hacker ethics and education
Hacking a system can bring humanity to an inhumane environment
CHAPTER 4: “Is anyone listening?”: Hacking Two-Way Communication Between Research and Practice
See the system: A one-way flow of information from research to practice
Reframe: Being in conversation with something (or someone) that isn’t there
Create and innovate: Find your voice in the conversation
Share: Create and find the community you can
Summary: Be in conversation
CHAPTER 5: “Yeah, but what are they saying?”: Hacking Language Barriers Between Research and Practice
See the system: Star-crossed collaborators
Reframe: Traveling to another country
Create: Learn the language of the other
Share: Learning a language is intimacy
CHAPTER 6: “Where does our work fit?”: Zoom In and Out to Gain Focus and Widen Perspective
See the system: The crash of ideals into Friday eighth period
Reframe: Get flexible
Create: Zoom wildly toward your inquiry goals
Share: Spread the word
CHAPTER 7: “What if everyone is arguing?”: Navigating the Intersection of Authentic Debate, Weaponized Research, and Our Own Experience
See the system: The bellicose and the acquiescent
Reframe: Couples counseling for all of us
Create: Build generative disagreement
Share: The ephemeral state of knowing
Conclusion: We Can Get Close—er
References
Index
Published: Sep 29, 2026
ISBN: 9798348831578
SKU: 9798348831578
Publisher: Corwin Press
Pairs well with
Healing and Hacking the Research-Practice Divide: A Teacher's Guide to Educational Research
If you have any questions, you are always welcome to contact us. We'll get back to you as soon as possible, within 24 hours on weekdays.
-
Shipping Information
Use this text to answer questions in as much detail as possible for your customers.
-
Customer Support
Use this text to answer questions in as much detail as possible for your customers.
-
FAQ’s
Use this text to answer questions in as much detail as possible for your customers.
-
Contact Us
Use this text to answer questions in as much detail as possible for your customers.
FAQs
Please read our FAQs page to find out more.
How long does shipping take?
Standard delivery typically arrives within 3–7 business days depending on your location, and quantities ordered. Need books faster than a caffeinated teacher before finals week? Give us a call and we'll be happy to discuss meeting your deadlines.
Do you accept purchase orders from schools or districts?
Yes! QEP Books proudly supports school, district, and institutional purchase orders. Simply email your PO to QEPOrders@qepbooks.com and we'll take care of the rest.
Do you offer discounts for bulk orders?
Yes — the more books you buy, the happier we get, and the better your discount becomes. Reach out to our team for a custom bulk quote tailored to your school or organization.
Can I speak to a real human if I need help?
Absolutely. Our team is small but friendly, and actually reads your messages. Just use the contact form or email us directly at QEPOrders@qepbooks.com — we respond quickly and without AI-generated attitude.