Under the auspices of the North American Free Trade Agreement, five states in the United States and six states in Mexico established the Gulf of Mexico Accord to create a working partnership to foster economic development in the Gulf of Mexico. The agreement addresses six major sectors: investment; communication and transportation; health; education and culture; agriculture, fishery, and forestry; and tourism. Florida's Daytona Beach Community College was assigned the lead for the education and culture sector, and as part of the Accord's efforts held the First Education Conference in September 1995. One significant outcome of the conference was the generation of support for the establishment of a permanent Education Commission for the Gulf of Mexico. The conference also established four task forces to work on the following educational priorities: (1) establishing a resource information center focusing on language, history, and culture; (2) creating programs for educational development related to curriculum design, teaching methodology, educational technology, and student success; (3) developing the relationship between education and business, creating permanent links to strengthen the regional economy; and (4) establishing distance learning programs. Needs identified in the conference included finding a balanced funding mechanism and a method of broadening educational programs to include elementary, middle, and secondary educational institutions. Appendixes include a list of the conference participants, participating institutions, sponsors, brief summaries of the Gulf of Mexico governors conference and the Gulf of Mexico Accord, and the text of the Accord. (TGI)