The School of Education, University of the West Indies at St. Augustine mounted a conference from 20-23 July, 1981 on the theme, Educational Research in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago: An Exploration of Needs and Approaches. A major goal of the exercise was to bring together researchers, practitioners and policy makers who would attempt to identify needs and problems in education with specific reference to Trinidad and Tobago and explore strategies for resolving them. Another important goal of the Conference was to provide an update of research completed and research in progress at the School of Education, the Ministry of Education and other institutions engaging in educational research.