This report on the status, prospects, and future implications of distance education in the states of Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington focuses on those delivery systems that provide or could provide instructional units, courses, or instructional supplements to elementary and secondary schools in the region. The first of five sections describes six examples of delivery systems in the region; (1-2) the Satellite Technology Educational Program (STEP) and EDUNET, which make their resources available by subscription to any school district; (3-4) the Idaho Rural Education Delivery System (IREDS) and Alaska Centralized Correspondence Studies (CCS), which serve their specific states; (5) the Community College of Spokane, an example of a technological approach to serving several communities; and (6) the Big Sky Telegraph, an electronic mail network located in Montana. The second section describes delivery systems originating outside the Northwest region whose services are available within the region, i.e., TI-IN satellite, Oklahoma State University Arts and Sciences Teleconferencing Service (ASTS), Satellite Communications for Learning (SCOLA), Technical Education Research Centers (TERC), National Geographic Society's Kids Network Project, Educational Satellite Network (ESN), Channel One service of Whittle Communications, CNN NEWSROOM, and Cable Alliance for Education. The third section describes statewide plans for and studies on distance education in the six northwestern states, and section four reviews state policies on distance education, including certification and content review and quality. The fifth section provides analyses of current school district usage of technology-based systems and conditions that enable or constrain such use, as well as discussions of some unanswered questions and potential roles for the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. (DB)