Some of the information needed by policy makers faced with deciding whether and where to develop new educational research and development centers is analyzed in this document. The purpose is to provide an assessment of the current relationships among such factors as funding levels, numbers and sizes of centers, sizes of student populations, state taxing efforts, needs for educational development as expressed in results of student achievement tests, population characteristics, and types of research undertaken at centers. While an effort is made to provide information useful in the comparison of costs and benefits, no attempt is made at evaluating the usefulness or effectiveness of the specific research conducted or of the centers themselves. The material is organized to allow analysis of the status of research and development throughout the United States as a whole, within individual states, and across regions, permitting evaluation of the distribution, funding, and research focus of centers in relation to the different geographical areas they can or do serve. The paper also discusses assessment of the need for research and development centers, and examines the notion of equity as it relates to the funding of centers. (PGD)