Education service requirements mandated by Public Law 94-142 and Section 504 of the 1973 Vocational Rehabilitation Act emphasize the need for interorganizational relationships in rural schools. A survey of 43 special education cooperatives and 32 districts in 17 states indicates that by the 1979-80 academic year 97% had developed interagency agreements to facilitate a free, appropriate public education for rural handicapped students. While regionalized rural service delivery allows a greater range of special services to be provided at greater cost effectiveness by fewer personnel, regionalized special education often results in arguments over locus of decision-making control, the location of the unit, personnel choices, loss of community pride and ownership in programs, and higher transportation costs. Data on interagency collaboration gathered during 1980-81 by a telephone survey of representatives of 100 federal agencies, national professional organizations and federally funded handicapped regional projects reveal that role clarification is essential among all involved agencies, "turf" issues must be resolved at national levels, internal agency plans as well as a systematic national plan and central leadership are needed, and resource constraints and lack of communication between local and federal agencies are concerns. (NEC)