A collaborative study examined early childhood teachers' philosophies and practices as they pertained to developmentally appropriate practices and their influence on inner-city early childhood settings. Data were collected by recording conversations among five teachers. Excerpts indicate agreement over interrelated developmental areas, curriculum, teaching strategies, and parent-family relations, as suggested by developmentally appropriate practices and their successful implementation. Constraints of time and "institutional" expectations, however, limit such implementation. The collaborators disagreed regarding the place: of skills instruction and accountability; of teacher-directed, large group instruction; of extrinsic reward structures; and of the teacher's role in discipline. Also identified were issues that remained unclear, such as age and individual appropriateness, appropriate and inappropriate practices, sources for developmentally appropriate practices, lack of guidelines to implement them, and lack of emphasis on importance of family and community. The final concern was how "inner-city" settings are the same as and different from "mainstream" schools and communities. Based on these conversations, it is recommended that all early childhood educators examine developmentally appropriate practices and assess how they compare to their own teaching practices. (BAC)