Following an introductory description of the structure, administration, and general character of the Soviet system of education, this document discusses the status of educational research and innovation in the USSR. The system of research is outlined, and the organization and areas of inquiry of the major research institutions, including the divisions of the Academy of Pedagogical Science and the Scientific-Research Institute on Problems of the Higher School, are reviewed. Recent educational innovations reported in the document include creating special schools for the gifted in science and mathematics, combining vocational and general education, adding management to the official list of higher education specialties, revising the syllabus of preschool education, providing schools specializing in foreign language instruction, and organizing preparatory departments for higher education. (PGD)