America's rural communities are facing increasing challenges to the provision of equitable services and economic stability. Two major rural concerns are the lack of educational opportunities and resources and potentially inadequate telecommunications infrastructures for economic development. In order to attain economic and educational parity with urban areas, a unique cooperative concept is emerging between rural public school systems and local telecommunications providers. Sharing of telecommunications networks can provide educators with an alternative delivery system for two-way interactive television (ITV) to connect multiple school locations. One such partnership, a fiber optic telecommunications partnership between a rural telephone cooperative and seven school districts, the Mid-State Educational Telecommunications Cooperative (MSET), was recently developed in Minnesota. This system is currently delivering 16 high school classes as well as preschool and parenting classes and community education programs in its first full year of operation. Fiber optics technology, which lends itself well to a two-way ITV system because of its high channel capacity, may also contribute to a community's economic development plans by providing a state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure for information-based businesses. Partnerships may also be developed using other technologies including microwave, coaxial cable, and satellite. (MES)