Observation of several community-school groups in Boston has led the authors to conclude that most of these groups are small, weak, and vulnerable to internal disruption; their impact on the substance of education has been thus far slight. (DM)

Explores the evolution of equal educational opportunity from legal, historical, philosophical, and policy perspectives. Suggests how the goals of equal education may be pursued under "new federalism" and current economic decline, and describes the role that State legislatures and departments of education must play. (Author/GC)