Introduction

This chapter explores the role of research in teachers' work through the action research narratives of a group of teachers from Grange High School, a low socioeconomic school in regional Australia. It is teachers' voices that are privileged as they themselves tell us about their systematic classroom research; the process of becoming researchers; the establishment of collaborative relationships with their research partner. The chapter supposes that the biggest challenge in a school like this is getting it right for this time and for this place, getting the structures in the school and the processes to support students and teachers. It examines debate on the nature and status of professional knowledge from the viewpoint of the sociology of the professions. The chapter concludes brief comments on teachers' work and professional identity in light of the action research at Grange High. It also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.