This study was conducted in Wisconsin to determine the current status of personnel within the vocational, technical and adult education (VTAE) districts responsible for research, planning, and development (RPD) activities, what activities were being performed by the districts, and the nature of involvement in the performance of these RPD activities. A questionnaire based on a literature review and VTAE research, planning, and development job descriptions was developed and revised. The questionnaire was mailed to district directors and research administrators of the 16 Wisconsin VTAE districts as well as to directors/administrators of institutional research from 65 out-of-state public community colleges and technical institutes. From the data reported on the questionnaires, the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) the most common organizational structure in the VTAE district has the administrator of RPD reporting directly to the district director; (2) at all the other institutions, the RPD functions were either first- or second-level administrative functions; (3) in the VTAE system, the RPD functions were most likely to be administered as a single entity, while in out-of-state community colleges the functions were administered in separate units; (4) all of the institutions surveyed had the RPD functions; (5) the majority of RPD directors had a master's or higher academic degree, with a majority of personnel having at least one degree in education or educational administration; and (6) personnel tended to devote about one-third of their time to each of the three functions. As a result of the study, recommendations were made that each VTAE district should examine the RPD functions and make sure that they were providing reliable information for decision making; that inservice education for RPD administrators be created and implemented; and that program audits of the RPD functions should be made to provide an objective evaluation of the services in the districts. (KC)