Five background papers were produced for the Research, Development and Dissemination System Committee of the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board in preparation for the proposed reauthorization of the Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement. The first paper, "Shaping the Future of Educational Research, Development, and Communication," describes and assesses the current system of educational research and development. The second paper, "The Educational Research, Development, and Dissemination System: An Analytic Mapping," explores the characteristics of the educational research and development system and the issues involving it. The third paper, "The Needs, Demand for, and Supply of Educational Research, Development, and Dissemination," provides a more detailed analysis of the nature of the research, development, and dissemination (RD&D) work required and demanded versus what is actually delivered. The fourth paper, "Comparison of Selected Federal RD&D Styles," considers alternative styles for the conduct of federal RD&D, focusing on the cognitive science program of the Office of Naval Research and the learning disabilities and reading program of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The final paper, "A Review of the Federal Role and the Department of Education Structure," summarizes the federal role in research, specifically in educational research, and the structure for fulfilling the research role in the U.S. Department of Education. (Contains 11 tables, 1 chart, 3 figures, and 47 references.) (SLD)