The purposes of this paper are (1) to present a rationale for the investigation of the environments of educational organizations; (2) to examine recent literature on the nature and effectiveness of formal linkages between organizations; (3) to review recent studies, mainly Canadian, on organizational environments, boundary spanning, and interorganizational linkages in the field of education; and (4) to discuss the implications for educational policy formation and implementation. The summary states that education does have ambiguous goals, unclear technologies, and inadequate resources, and that loose coupling is evident within educational organizations. However, according to literature reviewed in the paper, loosely coupled educational organizations respond more effectively to environmental pressures and changes than do tightly coupled ones. (Author)