ABSTRACT
The most notable characteristic of modern research and development in American education is the incredible expansion of federal involvement in the 1960s, followed by the sharp retrenchment of the 1970s. Major social changes in American society parallel this expansion and contraction. A closer examination of these social changes sheds insight upon what has happened to the research and development movement in education. But before examining current American society and the contemporary research and development movement, let us review some of the highlights of the past century.
