Despite the faith felt in 1965 in the power of educational research to effect immediate educational improvement, no sweeping reforms have resulted from research and development activities to date. This is partly due to lack of funds and to the fact that Schools of Education have emphasized their roles as socializers and distributors of credentials rather than as catalysts for change. Though educational research is carried out successfully by agencies other than universities, the latter, because of their contact with almost every aspect of society and their unequalled pool of scholarship and expertise, should remain at the heart of educational research and development. This paper is concerned with how the university can best fulfill its research function and discusses first, the importance of basic research; second, the characteristics and needs of mission-oriented research, which include an overall plan and commitment, team approaches to problemsolving, attention not only to actual problems but also to models and theories on the one hand and practical field testing on the other; and third, mission-oriented research in education and the need for cooperation and planning. (AF)