This paper is a historical overview of the educational research and development setting that has been inherited by the National Institute of Education. The author identifies four major periods: a) the emergence of education as a field of study (1855-1895); b) the period of empiricism (1895-1938); c) the assumption of a pragmatic orientation; and d) the emergence of a major role for the federal government. During the first period, curriculum reformers relied upon European ideas, and the federal government collected and disseminated data. Changes based on scientific investigation and controlled experiment marked the second period, which was highlighted by the founding of John Dewey's laboratory school at the University of Chicago and the rise of education as a field of graduate study. The period from 1938 to 1954 saw the decline of research in education caused mainly by economic depression and the gradual separation of education from other areas in the arts and sciences. The Cooperative Research Act, passed by Congress in 1954, marked the beginning of a major federal role in education. In 1965, amendments to the Cooperative Research Act made possible the organization of a network of research and development (R&D) centers. Rapid growth and proliferation of responsibility for the sponsorship of R&D programs have characterized educational history since 1965. (HMD)