The external politics of technology utilization in schools involving local, state, and federal levels of government is the central focus of this paper. Interest group politics are also examined, especially as practiced at the state level by professional associations representing teachers, administrators, and school board members. The first chapter examines the failure of the microcomputer to transform the traditional role of the teacher in the schools and then assesses the promise of interactive distance learning to do so. The primary conclusion reached is that only technologies like interactive distance learning, with its capacity to offer an educationally viable and cost-effective alternative to the classroom teacher, will have a real impact on schools. The second chapter describes the technology of interactive distance learning and state-level providers of distance learning services as well as the federal role in distance learning. The third chapter analyzes, at each of the three educational governance levels, political and legal issues that have been raised by distance learning. In the years ahead teacher unions may find themselves in some difficult political battles either to prevent school districts from obtaining and expanding interactive distance learning instruction or to compensate teachers for mastering its use. (24 references) (MLF)