This report presents the proceedings of a conference for researchers and trainers of researchers, convened to discuss the issues involved in improving knowledge by finding better ways to permit cross-research analyses or longitudinal research analyses. Included are: (1) a description of the history, goals, and activities of the Interagency Panel on Early Childhood Research and Development and the Interagency Panel for Research and Development on Adolescence; (2) an address defining the need for comparability and generalizability in research and the problems involved; (3) summaries of the discussions of four separate conference workgroups; (4) post-conference reactions of some of the participants; (5) a brief description of the panels' conference followup activities; and (6) a short paper which summarizes the major recurring recommendations of workgroups from this conference and a preceding one. The paper suggests the organization of Research Progress Monitoring Groups, a tripartite structure of interrelated groups designed to translate policy questions into research questions and to attain answers to these questions as quickly as possible. (ED)