The purpose of the Committee on Basic Research in Education is to provide advice to the Office of Education on the organization of a comprehensive program of support for basic behavioral, social and humanistic research of relevance to education. This document presents: (1) the history and goals of the Committee on Basic Research; (2) the activities of the Committee; (3) the role of the disciplines in basic research related to education; (4) the role of problem centered inquiry in basic educational research; and (5) recommendations of the committee. Also included is a brief history of the national Academy of Sciences, the National Research Council, and the National Academy of Education. (HS)