The nature of second language pronunciation research often precludes its application to the classroom. And even when research findings do have direct applicability to classroom practice, open channels of communication between researchers and practitioners are often lacking. We have subtitled this issue of The CATESOL Journal “Pronunciation: Research Into Practice, and Practice Into Research”—indicating our belief that research and practice comprise a 2-way street, with research results definitely informing practice but with practice helping to confirm these results and providing an additional, real-world test of their validity. The contributing authors of this theme issue (both researchers and practitioners), through their research and insights into best classroom practices, provide teachers of pronunciation much to ponder. This article seeks to draw from the authors’ insights a set of core principles, firmly anchored in research results, on which to base pronunciation teaching decisions.

Communities of practice have taken a firm foothold in the second language teaching profession due to their promise of enabling participants to self determine their professional development needs and, through peer mentoring, achieve their goals. This article provides a rationale as to why the model is particularly well suited to teacher professional development along with guidelines for establishing and sustaining the community. This process is illustrated via several examples: (1) a large-scale, multinational community of practice established in the Lower Mekong region of Southeast Asia and funded by the U.S. Department of State's Office of English Language Programs and (2) two teacher-created local outgrowths of this community established in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Cambodia.