A major concern in planning for and beginning the operation of the National Institute of Education is the organization's management information system (MIS). The kind of MIS needed by NIE is referred to in the literature as a "fourth generation" system--one which focuses on the decision process and which is developed in terms of maximum usefulness in management decision and control. At this stage in NIE planning, a number of general information needs can be identified. The most difficult to supply are those related to support of goal and priority setting and policy determination at the top management levels. Other clear needs relate to descriptive capability and the development of components for providing state-of-the-art information and for keeping track of ongoing programmatic efforts. Other modules must produce feedback on organizational operation, financial/accounting information, and data on the resources (other than budgetary) available to NIE. (Author/WM)