The paper considers the need to develop the research and creative potential of students in the conditions of a dynamically developing modern society and the job market, which necessarily require new approaches to the education of young people. It is noted that this work should be carried out from an early age. The driving force for the implementation of society's demands and challenges in solving life and professional tasks can be the presence of a formed and developed scientific and creative opportunities of each person. The study of domestic and foreign psychological and pedagogic practices, empirical pedagogical experience has allowed to draw conclusions that structural-genetic approach as a methodological basis for studying the problems of development of students' research potential allows to see the “evolution of ideas about children's intellectual and creative giftedness” (Safonova, 2001). It is shown that the development of software and scientific and methodological support for the development of the research and creative potential of students under the conditions of basic and additional education contributes to the mastery of universal and other methods of educational actions. Effective models and forms of developing the creative potential of students at different levels of education in different types of educational institutions, both in Russia and in foreign countries, are shown. The author emphasizes that the implementation of these models improves the quality of educational services. The research study aims to classify the teaching experience of domestic and foreign educational institutions for the development of student's research and creative performance. It must be done as the development of society is characterized by dynamism, the new types of creativity in living environment, the need to solve creative tasks in life and in the career. Therefore, from the very childhood we should develop the willingness of the individual to explore the surrounding reality, create original strategies of activity and behavior.