Transcending the low status of educational research will require demonstrating its relevance to improvements in practice. Educational progress is most likely to emerge from approaches to research that create an equal footing for practitioners and researchers, recognizing that though these groups accumulate and curate knowledge in different ways, they both have a role in creating tools (curricula, practices, professional development approaches) that can be used to forge lasting improvements. A brief history of the ongoing shift toward practice-embedded educational research (PEER) demonstrates its increasing acceptance and popularity and suggests modifications to the future selection of research topics, funding mechanisms, and professional preparation of both practitioners and researchers. [This article was adapted from the Wallace Foundation Distinguished Lecture given on April 4, 2014, at the American Educational Research Association annual meeting.]