Providing the chief state school officers of the Northwest and the Pacific states with information on the policy options they face in establishing an electronic communication system, this paper is divided into four sections. The first section describes potential uses of electronic communication networks in education for correspondence, management information, instruction, testing and evaluation, information base access, and database access. The second section describes the modes of operation for electronic communication networks and the capabilities of each mode. These include electronic mail, bulletin board, newsletter, document transmission, and data transmission. The third section discusses the technical considerations surrounding the establishment of an electronic communication network and considers the relative advantages and disadvantages of various configurations. The fourth section describes the policy issues a chief state school officer must consider in establishing an electronic communication network. This includes such issues as cost, operational control, privacy, user training, and the number of system users. (Author/MLF)