This report presents a description of the Appalachian Regional Commission's (ARC) Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) program. RESAs are organizations established to provide a range of educational services on a regional basis by combining some of the educational resources flowing to existing agencies. Funds for RESAs may come from federal, state, or local sources, but in all cases they come through existing agencies; RESAs do not have the authority to levy taxes. This report examines the organization and operation of 23 RESAs, of which 22 have received grants or contracts from the ARC. The report is based on data gathered from two sets of telephone interviews with the 23 RESA directors, face-to-face interviews with staff members at 11 of the 23 RESAs, and additional materials provided by RESA directors and staff members. Individual chapters focus in turn on RESA funding sources, legislative and administrative guidelines governing RESAs, organizational characteristics of RESAs, relationships between RESAs and other educational agencies, planning and implementation of RESA activities, programs and projects of RESAs, objectives of RESAs, and decisions concerning the continuation and expansion of the ARC's RESA program. (JG)