A 1-day workshop preceded a meeting of the National Educational Research Policies and Priorities Board of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) to help the Board consider the most appropriate structure for research and dissemination in education. The workshop opened with a presentation by William Raub, who provided a view on research and dissemination from the standpoint of biomedical research. Following a question-and-answer session, the next workshop session discussed the evolution, current state of affairs, and future plans of three aspects of the current OERI agenda: a national educational research center, a regional educational laboratory, and an additional ERIC clearinghouse. A session on historical context examined the development of the OERI and existing problems in the present OERI infrastructure. Another session discusses various perspectives on the institutions and resources needed to support an effective research and development system in education. The following papers are included as appendices: (1) "Toward a New Federal Role in Dissemination and Knowledge Utilization" (Karen Seashore Louis); (2) "Teacher Education Accreditation: The Unheralded Engine for the Dissemination of Educational Research" (Arthur Wise); (3) "The Development and Effectiveness of Federal Compensatory Education Programs: A Brief Historical Analysis of Title I and Head Start" (Maris Vinovskis); (4) "The Experience of a National Research Center: Contributions to a Vision for a National Educational Research, Development, and Dissemination System" (John Hollifield); and (5) "Outline of a Theory of Knowledge Utilization To Guide Strategic Planning by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement" (Willis Hawley). A list of participants and biographies of presenters are included. (SLD)