This study originated in 1968, when desegregation was being carried out mainly on a one-way basis, by busing minority pupils to predominantly white schools. Two of the districts studied, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Providence, Rhode Island, were then groping their way toward racial balance, primarily because of local pressures, and both had…

Chapter one examines the constitutional context of the busing issue and focuses on the way courts have dealt with the problem. Attention is divided between the United States Supreme Court's rulings and the work of the lower courts. When courts have required busing for desegregation there has almost inevitably been considerable public opposition.…