A case study of interagency cooperation between the Danville (Virginia) public schools and the city's Parks and Recreation Department enabled researchers to examine the characteristics and components of interorganizational relationships in public education. Using naturalistic inquiry techniques, they gathered data through interviews with key actors, observation of programs and activities, analysis of agency documents, and intensive one-day observation of the coordinator of the interagency program. The characteristics of interagency cooperation analyzed included (1) the definition of interagency cooperation; (2) advantages and disadvantages of the relationship; (3) incentives to maintain the relationship, including resource needs and environmental factors; (4) processes, structures, and persons facilitating the relationship; (5) barriers to the relationship, such as "turf" protection and organizational autonomy and size; (6) the agencies' commitment to the relationship; and (7) community reactions to the relationship. From their analysis the researchers construct a model of interagency cooperation comprising three aspects: program parameters, including persons, structures, tasks, technologies, and skills; program processes, such as power, leadership, authority, communication, decision-making, and motivation; and environmental factors, such as history, politics, and social norms and values. (RW)