Research indicates that the use of metaphors to organize and frame questions concerning the teaching/learning process can be an effective tool. More problematic, however, has been the use of metaphor in framing policy questions, especially those metaphors employed to frame national education reform ideas. This article explores several research studies that focus on the use and misuse of metaphor in education. It also offers ideas, based on this prior research, which may help educators generate more effective metaphors in framing both educational inquiry and educational policy making issues.