This study focuses on the nature of educational development in the United States as determined by an analysis of the available literature. There is general agreement that educational development has not achieved the status now accorded to the general avocation of research by educators. This appears to be the result of a relatively short history and a lack of preciseness in the description of the developmental process. The recent institutionalization of the educational research and development process by Congress and the U. S. Office of Education through the establishment of the educational R&D centers and regional educational laboratories has resulted in a convergence of opinion on what constitutes educational development as well as a clarification of which organizations should be primarily responsible for the development function in education. Moreover, the pre-eminence of the Federal Government in specifying the direction of educational research and development through its funding of programs and projects indicates that political considerations are likely to continue to influence the growth and direction of educational development in the United States. The recommendation is made that managers of educational developmental programs adopt strategies which will support a mix of both small- and large-scale developmental projects. (Author)