Although educational planning as it is now practiced has many shortcomings, if certain recommendations are followed, a more adequate profile of educational planning is possible. A number of criticisms of educational planning have been offered: It usually attempts to preserve the status quo; it is hierarchical in nature; it is preoccupied with the problems of growth rather than with equal opportunity or needed reorganization; it usually neglects the implementation phase; its perspectives are limited, usually to economic considerations; and it oversimplifies the causal relationships between education and the social system and between education and educational planning. To become more effective, educational planning ought to change in a number of ways: It ought to become an agent of educational reform; it should be regarded as an ongoing process; although education can play only a limited role in reducing inequalities, educational planning ought to maximize this role; the assumption should be made that plans are made to be implemented; the functions of educational planning ought to be broadened; and expectation of what can be accomplished through educational planning ought not to be exaggerated. The key to the notion of educational planning advocated here is the recognition of the political nature of the process. (Author/JM)