Since 1898 the work of defining and realizing development in Puerto Rico has been carried out within the context of a political-economic relationship with the United States under colonialism. This book focuses on an assessment of the relationship between the history of educational reform policies in Puerto Rico and the issue of economic development. It examines the impact that a particular conception of development under U.S. control has had on Puerto Rico's public school system. This is accomplished by articulating certain aspects of the country's economic history and the concurrent reform initiatives arising from the school system in response to the economic situation. The emphasis on the school system's reactions to U.S. development projects raises the issue of rationality. Chapter 2 outlines two models of development--the orthodox and the political-economic paradigms. The latter is argued to characterize Puerto Rican development under the United States. Chapters 3 and 5 present general outlines of the country's economic history during colonialism. Chapters 4, 6, and 7 examine some of the most significant educational reform initiatives and policies that arose during those historical periods (1898-1940 and the 1940s through the 1980s) in response to U.S. development projects. Within the book, different sections are dedicated to the concept of rationality and its dynamics in the context of a changing economic and social environment in the colony. It is hoped that the book will provide a critical awareness of Puerto Rico's colonial situation in general, as well as some insight into the complexity and necessity of overcoming a situation that overtly and covertly continues to hinder human potential, regardless of place. (Contains an extensive bibliography.) (LMI)