The first of a three-volume final report, this portion presents an overview of the entire study, which was conducted to assess the effectiveness of secondary and postsecondary cooperative education programs in the nation's hundred largest cities and to analyze the postprogram experiences of participants and nonparticipants. (Volume 2 is a detailed analysis of the followup study and Volume 3 contains the individual case studies.) This volume is organized into six chapters: (1) Detailed description of the sample selection and an analysis of the programs nominated for inclusion in the case study sample, (2) a statistical summary of all data collected in connection with the assessment of urban cooperative programs, (3) a statistical summary of all data collected in conjunction with the followup study, an exploration of the administrative structures and program techniques used in connection with the 30 case study programs, (5) an analysis of the constraints limiting the initiation of cooperative education programs in urban areas and the possibilities for expansion, and (6) a summary of the study's findings, conclusions, and recommendations (available also as a separate document, the "Executive Summary"). (JT)