This paper discusses some of the educational potential of psycholinguistic research. The first area discussed is the educational implications of the human capacity for acquiring language. Studies cited cover topics related to the universality of language acquisition, children's mastery of basic grammatical devices, neurophysiological states of readiness, psychological processing of the environment, psycholinguistics and reading, and structure words. The second area discussed is the implications of language usage. Research discussed in this area relates primarily to social and environmental variables which may provide a key to understanding individual and group differences in language behavior. Particular areas of research discussed include: dialect instruction, verbal interaction in families, code selection, and language styles. Several conclusions are presented: the preschool years are the most critical for language acquisition; all languages share the same potential for expression; the implicit knowledge of the linguistic system acquired as the child learns to speak the language can facilitate his acquisition of other language skills; and a restricted communication code may be impeded in some aspects of school learning. (WR)