This visionary and influential book by Philip H. Coombs was a turning point in the Institute’s history, and in the development of educational planning in general. His words set the tone for the development of IIEP’s programmes: “Educational innovations... will not come about automatically. Even if they did, they would not be quickly assimilated. ... If the strategy is to succeed, innovation must become what it has not been before. It must become a way of life for education.”

At this time the interdisciplinary nature of educational planning became more and more apparent. Its coverage was expanding, and in the 1970s began to encompass regional planning, and microplanning, as well as alternative forms of educational delivery.