This report presents findings confirming the crucial role of education in enabling refugees to contribute actively to their own relief, and suggests ways in which appropriate education can be provided. The introduction reviews the history of the International Extension College (IEC), which exists to provide information and advice on distance teaching in third world countries, and the various projects IEC has been involved in since its inception in 1971. Findings and conclusions reported here are limited to eastern and southern Africa and Central America. Each case study presented is based on visits to the refugee communities, discussions with approximately l,200 refugees in nine countries and various agencies working with them, and social surveys of a sample of their population. The experience of pilot projects using distance teaching methods in three of the communities studied is reflected in the studies and conclusions, even though conclusions from these projects are still tentative. Part I is a general introduction which reviews the history of international refugee movements, the legal status of refugees, and patterns of education provisions. Descriptive information from the nine case studies conducted are presented in Part II. Part III presents general conclusions about educational needs and the possibilities of provisions to meet these needs. Proposals for what can be done to extend educational services to refugees are presented in Part IV. The appendix contains interview samples. (DJR)