This paper describes and analyzes the relationship of research and practice and the goals and processes of staff development. It considers how a more clinical, developmental, and professional approach can help classroom teachers and staff developers use research on effective teaching and staff development in a reflective and analytical manner. It is pointed out that research findings can offer a teacher a framework within which an innovation may be adapted to meet the needs of specific classroom settings, becoming a tool to help the teacher rather than a prescription to be followed blindly. Research on inservice education is cited to illustrate the way teachers may be trained to implement changes into classroom practice. The training processes most effective in producing specific behavior changes in the classroom include the following five steps: (1) presentation of theory; (2) modeling of practices; (3) practice with new behaviors; (4) feedback; and (5) coaching in the classroom. With the perspective in mind of using research to help classroom teachers and staff developers to think more reflectively and analytically about their practices, a detailed description is given of a program in which classroom teachers and researchers on effective teaching were brought together. This program at the College of Education at Michigan State University, The Master of Arts-Classroom Teaching program (MA-CT), has been in effect for the past 15 years. (JD)