This study examines the ways in which parents and other community members, especially urban minorities and the poor, participate in decisions that bear on the education of their children. Information concerning the role and effectiveness of community organizations in Atlanta, Boston, and Los Angeles over a 15 month period is summarized. The information provided includes: (1) an historical overview of the role that community organizations have played in the development of school policy; (2) a description of the study's research methods and procedures; (3) types and characteristics of community organizations; (4) organizational features and interrelationships; (5) organizational effectiveness; (6) organizational policies and policy goals; (7) the politics of school systems and community organization access; and (8) the influence of the city's political culture on community participation, particularly with regard to the issue of desegregation. References are provided for each of the areas discussed. (Author/EB)