A 1968 appraisal of the effectiveness of the school research office as a channel for the dissemination of research and development information to school personnel is the main concern of this report. The paper is a product of the Communication Program at Far West Laboratory which is designed to fill three main research needs: the investigation of school personnel desire for R&D information and the evaluation of methods developed for dissemination of that information; the development of prototype systems for providing comprehensive and well-evaluated methods that will improve R&D information dispersal; and the development of organizational arrangements and training methods to aid decision-making in the schools. Consequently, the report also speaks to these needs and issues. The data for the study is derived from background reading, from studies, surveys, and conference reports of the time, from personal interviews with 15 experts in school-based research, and from more than 20 responses to letters of inquiry concerning school research office organization and function. The interviews and letters of inquiry were gathered from a nationwide sampling. (LH)