This paper isolates four research perspectives that have guided analyses of state legislatures and education policy in the past, and it presents research judgments that it believes will help the Law and Government Program of the National Institute of Education identify promising research directions in the future. While it acknowledges that few works have focused explicitly on the role of state legislatures in the conduct of education policy, the paper cites major works examining either state legislatures or state education policy that rest on analyses of institutions, individuals, policies, and interaction. The authors believe that useful research approaches would explore limited institutional phenomena rather than generalized descriptions; the relationship between individual behavior and legislative structures; policy processes for program revision, oversight, and appropriations; the impact of an enhanced legislative role on activities and forms of education policy; and the interactions among institutions responsible for the conduct of education policy. Attention to the priorities, deadlines, information sources, and daily burdens of education-policy practitioners is urged. (Author)