Out of the school reform movement of the eighties have come recommendations for professional development schools, site-based management, and teacher empowerment. Such initiatives can be implemented only in environments where continuing pursuit of new knowledge exists at every level. There is a pressing need for educational models that strive to ensure student learning, enhance teacher professionalism, and narrow the existing disjuncture between educational theory and practice. The instructional model at the Falk Laboratory School of the University of Pittsburgh conceives the school to be a center of inquiry. In this environment, emphases are placed upon the generation of new knowledge, the intellectual growth of teachers, and the development of inquiring attitudes in students. This paper describes both the theory and application of the model. An example of the application of the inquiring school model is presented in the form of a lesson description which demonstrates the use of graphic organizers to facilitate understanding and analysis of a story by primary students. (Author/IAH)