This document contains highlights of three years of research begun in 1967 that probed the decisionmaking structure of the education field, its politics, people, and forces. Twenty-five public school districts were studied and visited in the course of this research; nine districts were studied and analyzed in depth. A study of occupational dynamics, the research emphasized explaining and analyzing the roles of each member of the educational establishment, and concentrated on innovation in public school systems. The study attempted to identify the most influential factors that lead to innovation and to define the problems that inhibit change in education. (Author/MLF)