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The National Foundation for Educational Research in England and Wales (NFER) is an independent research organisation undertaking research and development projects in all sectors of the public education system. It aims to gather, analyse and disseminate research-based information with a view to improving education and training. This conference celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the NFER. The conference provided a framework for an analysis of the situation of educational research at the beginning of the new millennium. The discussions examined the role of educational research in a knowledge-based society and the ways in which it can contribute to educational reform, common areas of concern across nations and lessons that can be learnt from other related fields of research. This document summarises the main ideas emerging from the conference and provides an effective statement on educational research in current times. The following papers are included: Educational research in context / Seamus Hegarty; Educational research within England and Wales / Ralph Tabberer; Educational research in the USA / Susan Fuhrman; Context and challenges of educational research and policy in France / Gerard Bonnet; Educational research in The Netherlands in a nutshell / Arnold A. J. Spee; Nature and function of educational research / Barry McGaw; Respondents' comments / Sally Brown and Neville Postlethwaite; The psychometric enterprise - or the assessment aspiration / Chris Whetton; Respondents' comments / Albert Beaton and Caroline Gipps; Educational research and educational reform / Wynne Harlen; Respondents' comments / David Raffe and Karl-Heinz Gruber; OECD experiences and perspective on the interaction between education policy and research / Jarl Bengtsson; Educational research within the European Union / Erhard Schulte; EURYDICE / Luce Pepin; The case of IEA / Tjeerd Plomp; UNESCO's role in international educational research / John Smyth; Educational research and evaluation: the World Bank's role / Maris O'Rourke; Learning from other areas of study / Maurice Kogan; Respondents' comments / David H. Hargreaves and Margaret C. Wang; The impact of educational research / Ramsay Selden; Respondents' comments / John Gray and Alejandro Tiana; Closing reflections / Malcolm Skilbeck. A list of participants is also included. Selected papers are indexed from TD/INT 61.194 to TD/INT 61.207.