Educational research is often criticized for its lack of impact on practice and policy. In this paper, we discuss different approaches to the application of educational research and criticize some of the existing positions for missing the point, namely that the context of interaction between researchers and practitioners is closely connected to trustworthiness and dissemination of results. Particularly, we criticize the linear model and focus on the political context of educational research instead. This is exemplified and discussed by presenting a self-reflective case about comprehensive reforms in the Danish secondary school, which illustrates possible problems in research communication with teachers in an era of reform. (Contains 1 figure.)