Distance education is a current "catch-all" phrase for any form of instruction in which the learner is linked to an educational institution and is formally enrolled, but instruction does not necessarily have to be delivered to or from an official school site. Distance education can provide equity and increase the quality of educational opportunity; it can also provide access to subject matter not available in the local community, interaction and joint activities with students in other schools, increased access to information/instructional resources, opportunities for staff development and inservice training, and increased school/community linkages. Examples of rural distance education projects in K-12 settings in various states and localities are: elective correspondence classes which can be taken for high school credit; courses in writing fiction using electronic mail; astronomy and calculus courses using audiographic resource development for vocational agriculture using telecommunications; and an electronics course using slow scan television and audiographics. Four examples of whole course delivery using satellite transmission are described, as are two examples of statewide distance educational networks. Most current K-12 distance education programs provide elective and enrichment courses or experiences supplementing the core curriculum. Such programs often have unanticipated side effects: increased communication/cooperation between schools and districts, parental involvement with courses, and mastery of a technology which students/teachers can apply to other areas. Key issues and concerns in distance education relate to curriculum development, teacher training, student support, certification and accreditation, management and scheduling, costs, funding, evaluation, and program integration. An appendix provides delivery, cost, and contact information on the projects, satellite systems, and statewide networks described in the report. (NEC)