A study examined the degree to which teachers employ or perceive that they employ writing/reading strategies in their classrooms, and their perceptions regarding the degree to which their school system should support that effort. A pilot sample of 15 practicing teachers was drawn from a demonstration school in southwest Louisiana. Subjects, 71 K-8 teachers from the Jones County School System in Mississippi completed a questionnaire. A random sample of eight teachers was drawn for classroom observation. Two instruments designed to assess teachers' perceptions of their whole language awareness were administered to the pilot group study for validation purposes. Results of both studies indicated that there was an apparent gap between theory and practice relative to the implementation of a writing/reading basis for literacy development. Teachers appeared to regard their practice at a much higher level than is borne out by observation of environment and practice, and teachers tended to view the school system as needing to provide more support for their ventures into whole language methodology. (Four tables of data are included; 20 references, the teacher questionnaire and the classroom observation schedule are attached.) (RS)