Examined is the educational bureaucracy in New York City and its relation to other city institutions, civic groups, and teachers and administrators. The book contains chapters on the failure of desegregation, demographic and housing patterns, the neighborhood school movement, civil rights organizations, white liberals, and the moderates. Also included are sections dealing with the Board of Education, its top decision makers and its crisis management as well as its bureaucracy. Other chapters discuss community relations, the Board of Education and New York City government, and alternative reform strategies and public education systems. (NH)