Designed to propose ways for the Colorado Department of Education to provide leadership in the implementation of a statewide educational telecommunications network, this study examines ways in which telecommunications can be used by the state department of education, school districts, libraries, and other informational or educational agencies to meet a variety of needs. THe focus is on the creation of a network strategy, rather than a network infrastructure, and the use of telecommunications to solve existing problems or to provide more efficient and cost-effective service to all Coloradans. The first of two major sections, the Executive Summary provides a complete overview of the scope of the study and includes all of the recommendations. The recommendations are grouped into eight categories: (1) State Board of Education; (2) Colorado Department of Education; (3) Local Decision Makers; (4) Funding Strategies; (5) Instructional Delivery; (6) Access to Resources; (7) Teacher and Librarian Education/Staff Training; and (8) Implementation Strategies. Timelines for five years are included. Focusing on implementation strategies, the second section provides information on the history of telecommunications studies in Colorado, current telecommunications projects in the state, and options considered, as well as a detailed treatment of each of the recommendations. (91 references) (EW)