<EM>Inquiry, Data, and Understanding</EM> is a reflective collection of papers in which Lorin Anderson offers his personal perspective on developments in educational research over thirty years. <BR>Following an introductory chapter, in which educational research is defined as disciplined inquiry, the remaining chapters are divided into four sections: time and learning, factors influencing educational effectiveness, international perspectives, and the nature and purpose of educational research. Each section contains an introduction that places the chapters in that section in a historical and personal context. <BR>The fourth section, which concludes the book, summarises four lessons that were learned about becoming a researcher. Based on these lessons, the final chapter describes four needs that must be met if school and classroom research is to move forward: <BR>* The need for concept-based research<BR>* The need to put students back into the equation<BR>* The need to stop focusing on correlates of student achievement<BR>* The need for research on alterable variables.<BR>