system has been instituted, but the school superintendent has indicated that no transfers will be approved that would increase segregation. Several school officials and community leaders reported that most Anchorage citizens are accepting of multiracial schools, but conflicting attitudes on the subject exist in the community. Both minority and Anglo citizens reportedly would resist busing from their neighborhoods for desegregation purposes. A committee of Anglo parents recently argued for and won approval of a second site for a "back-to-basics," fundamental education curriculum. Some withdrew their support when school officials made it clear that the school would be located in a predominantly minority area. The parent group asserted that placing the school in a facility that would draw large numbers of minority students would jeopardize the academic success they needed to validate the "fundamental school" concept. Minority parents and students are concerned about the welcome of students transferred to predominantly white schools, and there have been minor racial incidents among students during the past 2 years. Mexican American parents and students in Anchorage recently protested the use of library books with references and images allegedly derogatory to Hispanics. The books were reviewed by a curriculum committee established for this purpose, and their use was ultimately approved by the school board following the determination that the books were not derogatory. There are no official or unofficial committees engaged in desegregation-related activities. Three years ago, a Minority Education Concerns Committee, composed primarily of minority parents, prepared a report which the district adopted. The committee no longer functions. The school district's human relations unit is preparing a 2-year program to establish integrated student learning teams and evaluate their educational impact in terms of improved academic performance. Inservice training in human relations and multicultural awareness, with a special focus on Alaskan Natives, will continue for teachers and staff. Advisory groups in the community have also been formed to assist in education plans and goals of the district. Special attention is being given to outreach mechanisms that will increase participation by Alaskan Natives in school affairs. Total suspensions for 1977-78 were 1,029, including 74.2 percent Anglos, 14.5 percent blacks, 9.3 percent American Indians or Alaskan Natives, 1.2 percent Mexican Americans, and 0.8 percent Asian Americans. Total suspensions for 1976-77 were 1,049, including 82.2 percent Anglos, 9.4 percent blacks, and 5.8 percent American Indians or Alaskan Natives (Mexican American and Asian American students were included in the "other" category, which was 2.6 percent). The district has used alternatives to suspensions during the past school year that reduced the total number of suspensions by 25.6 percent. Minority student suspensions increased by 6.5 percent during this same time period. Atlanta, Georgia Profile Public school enrollment in Atlanta in 1978 was approximately 74,300, including 66,185 black students who made up about 89 percent of the total school population. White students numbered 7,720, just over 10 percent of the total enrollment, and Hispanics and Asian Americans were less than 1 percent of the total. The 1970 enrollment was about 105,380; black students were 68 percent and whites were about 31 percent. In 1978 the system had 1,450 teachers, of whom approximately 75 percent were black and 25 percent white. In 1978 the school system added 16 new administrative positions to the existing 19; blacks held 25 of these positions and 10 were held by whites. (Earlier data on teachers and administrators were not available for this survey.) The school board in 1970 had a white majority of seven, with three black members. By 1978 the board was composed of five black members and four whites. In 1978 Federal aid to the Atlanta schools under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) totaled $8,370,413; funding under the Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA) amounted to $855,282. Desegregation Status Segregated residential patterns were a central element in a metropolitanwide school desegregation suit in Atlanta. The State and 10 suburban school systems outside Atlanta were defendants in the suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of black parents in 1972. The first significant action in the case was taken in March 1978, when a Federal court dismissed seven suburban school districts from the suit. A final disposition of the case has not been made. Limited school desegregation in Atlanta to date has been achieved through reassignment policies. In Atlanta, busing occurs only when a child volunteers to transfer from a school in which he or she would be in the minority. School officials indicate that only 3,500 pupils have chosen to transfer to schools out of their neighborhoods, and most students, therefore, still attend neighborhood schools. Recent figures released by the Atlanta school system indicate that for the first time since the decline in white enrollment began in the early 1970s, return of these students to the public schools has begun. In September 1976, 476 white children changed to public schools from private schools in Area III, the school district on the predominantly white north side of Atlanta. The impetus for this return has been credited to an organization known as the Northside Atlanta Parents for Public Schools, a biracial group of parents from nine Northside Atlanta schools who organized in February 1976 to support public schools in the area. The group has become an active advocate for public education, encouraging participating schools to aggressively recruit neighborhood family involvement. The group has sponsored two public expositions and designed and distributed thousands of brochures to publicize the quality of education available in area schools. The organization is supported financially through parent and PTA donations and aid from the downtown Atlanta business community. In 1970, in accordance with court orders, the faculty of each city school was required to meet a ratio reflecting the racial makeup of the student body at that time. A series of teacher transfers to accomplish this resulted in the resignation of hundreds of teachers. Data on pupil suspensions in Atlanta were not available for this survey. Austin, Texas Profile Total public school enrollment in Austin in fall 1977 was 58,454, including 24.1 percent Mexican Americans and 16.7 percent blacks. Total enrollment in 1970 was 54,878, including 20.4 percent Mexican Americans and 15.1 percent blacks. The school district's faculty and administrative staff in fall 1977 included 10.3 percent Mexican Americans and 13.3 percent blacks. In 1970 Mexican Americans comprised only 2.8 percent and blacks 15.1 percent of the district's teachers and administrators. In 1970 there was only one minority, a black, on the seven-member school board. Currently, there are five Anglos, one black, and one Mexican American serving on the board. For the 1978-79 school year, Austin public schools have been provided with $2,378,302 under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), $359,852 for ESEA Title IV programs, $70,911 for handicapped (Title VI), $568,142 for ESEA Title VII, and $216,909 for vocational education programs. An ESEA Title I migrant project grant of $830,106 is pending. Desegregation Status In its 1971 decision in United States v. Texas Education Agency, the Federal district court found that in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) the vestiges of an unconstitutional dual school system remained with respect to black students, but not with respect to Mexican American students. The court ordered the closing of two allblack secondary schools, which resulted in busing those students to other schools in the district. In 1972 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found discrimination against Mexican Americans. When the case was appealed again in 1976 and 1977, the appeals court upheld the earlier findings of discrimination. A petition for rehearing was rejected by the appeals court in September 1978. School officials reported that as of October 1, 1977, 15 of the 61 elementary schools were 80 percent or more minority. Of those 15, 5 were 80 percent or more Mexican American, and 6 were 80 percent or more black. Two of the 11 junior highs and 1 of the 9 high schools were also 80 percent or more minority. A triethnic committee (Anglo, black, and Chicano) was recently reactivated under the court order to provide community views to the court on the negotiation of new desegregation efforts at the elementary school level. Some community leaders would prefer a desegregation plan patterned after the Atlanta plan; that is, minimal busing and maximum employment of minority professionals and a "quality" education plan. Others feel strongly that there should be an overall desegregation plan, including both the elementary and secondary schools in the district. A disproportionate burden of pupil transportation is currently borne by black students, and black leaders have called for a more equitable sharing of it. At present, a human relations training program is conducted by the Austin school system to help students, teachers, and parents deal effectively with any desegregation-related problems. A school activities program also functions to increase secondary student involvement in voluntary extracurricular activities. In 1977-78, 290 elementary and secondary students received long-term suspensions. Of this total, 134 or 46.2 percent were black, 78 or 26.9 percent were white, and 78 or 26.9 percent were Mexican American. With regard to short-term suspensions, in the 1977-78 school year, 2,534 senior students were suspended, of whom 40.2 percent were black, 30.2 percent were white, and 26.6 percent were Mexican American. This was an increase from the 1976-77 total of 2,420 senior high students with short-term suspensions, of whom 40.2 percent were black, 30.5 percent were white, and 29.3 percent were Mexican American. Baltimore, Maryland Profile Baltimore's total public school enrollment in fall 1977 was 153,263 with 76 percent nonwhite and 24 percent white. In 1970-71 the enrollment was 67 percent nonwhite and 33 percent white. (Minority students who are not black account for less than onehalf of 1 percent and their number is included in the nonwhite category.) The system has approximately 200 schools and special centers. In 1977-78, 63 percent of teaching staff were nonwhite. The school-based administrative staff was also 63 percent nonwhite. In 1970-71, the percentages were 60 percent nonwhite for faculty and 53 percent nonwhite for administrative staff. Upper level central administrators were 42 percent nonwhite in 1970 and 55 percent nonwhite in 1977. In 1978 the nine-member school board was composed of five nonwhites and four whites. In 1970 four nonwhites and five whites were on the board. According to a school official, extensive faculty desegregation occurred in September 1974 and 1975 15 Pairing or clustering of grades or schools are school desegregation techniques and are achieved when the attendance areas of two or more when the first teacher transfers were made to achieve desegregation. In 1974, 15 to 20 percent of the approximately 8,000 teachers were transferred pursuant to desegregation guidelines. In 1975, 5 to 10 percent of the 8,000 teachers were reassigned. The district reported that since 1975 the number of teacher transfers to achieve desegregation has been minimal. According to the district, the desegregation plan involves only teaching staff and not central or school-based administrative staff. Desegregation Status In late 1975, HEW found Baltimore schools and Maryland's system of higher education in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. On March 15, 1976, the Federal district court joined the appeals of the two Maryland school systems and granted a preliminary injunction to halt any cutoff by HEW of Federal funds to the State and the district. The court of appeals for the fourth circuit upheld the preliminary injunction. Although it prevailed in the lower courts, the State of Maryland sought certiorari on the issue of whether HEW had violated or exceeded its authority under Title VI. On October 2, 1978, the Supreme Court of the United States denied certiorari. In February 1974 a task force of 51 persons representing a cross section of the city's business and professional leaders as well as representatives of each of the nine administrative regions in the district was appointed by the school superintendent to involve the community in development of a desegregation plan. The task force's report, which included various proposals, led to development of a plan that included rezoning of attendance areas, pairing, and the creation of citywide secondary schools with special emphasis programs. The plan, which did not involve transportation for desegregation purposes, was implemented in 1975. Faculty and student training programs accompanied desegregation. In the summer of 1975 the district held a 3-day "Desegregation Implementation Work Conference" as part of the desegregation plan. The district formed and trained "positive intervention" teams to work in each of the affected schools. The teams consisted of school counselors, parents, students, teachers, school security staff, community persons, and a staff person from the school district's regional office. Since 1975 similar training has been conducted under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of nearby schools are merged so that each school serves different grade levels for a new, larger attendance area. 1964. Conferences and workshops on human relations have taken place in 26 schools. In the 1977-78 school year, 1,605 pupil suspensions were reported, of which 86 percent involved nonwhite students. In 1975-76, 91 percent of 1,680 suspensions involved nonwhites. At present, the legal status of school desegregation in Baltimore has not been resolved. Maryland officials reportedly expect their motion for a permanent injunction against termination of Federal aid to be met by an HEW petition to dissolve that injunction. The court of appeals noted the potential national importance of this case and urged the district court to reach a judgment as expeditiously as possible. Meanwhile, HEW estimates that 60 percent of minority students are currently attending all-black schools. Baton Rouge, Louisiana Profile Total public school enrollment in Baton Rouge has increased slightly, from 63,158 in 1970 to 67,283 in 1978. Black enrollment rose from 38.1 percent of the total in 1970 to 40 percent in 1978. Since 1970 the school district has maintained a 65 to 35 white-black ratio of faculty and administrative staff, and each school within the district maintains this composition. No blacks are currently on the school board, although one black filled an unexpired term during 1973-74. Federal aid to Baton Rouge schools over the past 2 years amounted to $11,285,223. That total included over $3.7 million for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) programs, primarily Title I; $630,000 for programs for the handicapped; and almost $528,000 for Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA) programs. ESAA funds have supported student seminars, designed to acquaint students with persons of differing cultural backgrounds, and an interpersonal relations counseling program. Fortyfive teacher aides have been hired to improve teacher performance in multicultural settings. Desegregation Status The original suit to desegregate the East Baton Rouge Parish (county) schools was filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana in 1956. The court ordered school desegregation in 1970, and the school board's desegregation plan was accepted by the court in 1975. The plan, based upon the neighborhood school concept, does not include busing. Dissastisfied with the plan, local civil rights leaders have filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and a decision is expected shortly. Several community committees have formed to facilitate desegregation. These include the following: a biracial advisory committee for magnet schools; an ESAA districtwide advisory committee, whose membership is half black and half white, to help implement and evaluate ESAA programs; a courtappointed committee (also half white and half black) to advise the school district on matters related to school desegregation; and student advisory committees whose function is to help implement ESAA programs and help resolve student problems. According to the superintendent of schools, the white community generally accepts existing desegregation but probably would oppose any plan that requires busing or other plans that do not preserve neighborhood schools. Black civil rights leaders argue that the current plan does very little to dismantle the dual school system. At present, almost 75 percent of all black students in East Baton Rouge attend predominantly black schools (over 50 percent black). Over 60 percent of black students attend schools with 90 percent black enrollment, and in 70 of the 110 schools in the parish, at least 90 percent of the students are of one race. The faculties are desegregated on a ratio of 65 white to 35 black, but black community leaders allege that the most inexperienced white teachers are placed in predominantly black schools, while the most experienced black teachers are placed in predominantly white schools. Test results provided by the school system in the spring of 1977 showed that students in virtually allblack schools scored considerably lower than their white counterparts in racially mixed or nearly allwhite schools. In 1970, of 1,502 suspensions, 57.5 percent were of black students. Suspensions increased dramatically by 1977-78 to a total of 10,844, and black students again comprised 57.5 percent of the total. Black community leaders, who feel that the allwhite East Baton Rouge School Board is insensitive to the needs of black students, recently were successful in securing passage of legislation mandating the election of school board members by singlemember districts, beginning with the 1982 elections. This change could result in the election of at least two blacks to the board. Boston, Massachusetts Profile Total public school enrollment in Boston totaled 62,690 students for the 1978-79 school year. This represents a decrease of 3,000 from the total in 197778 of approximately 65,000. Nonwhite or non-Anglo students represent a majority of students attending public schools in Boston for the 1978-79 school year. The student body includes 28,443 blacks, 24,660 whites, and 9,547 others, primarily students of Hispanic origin. The school district's faculty for the 1977-78 school year totaled 5,133, including 4,283 whites, 649 blacks, and 201 others. The Boston School Committee is comprised of four whites and one black. Prior to 1978-79 all committee members were white. The Boston school district in FY '78 received $5,448,806 in Elementary School Aid Act (ESAA) funds, $8,849,604 in Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funds, and $4,998,999 in Bilingual Education funds. In FY '79 these figures were $4,496,602 for ESAA funds, $10,390,677 for ESEA funds, and $5,427,000 in Bilingual Education funds, which includes $306,238 for the Lau compliance unit. Teachers have received little school desegregation training. Desegregation Status The Boston public school system has been gradually desegregated under court order since 1974 through redistricting, the creation of magnet schools, and mandatory busing involving black and white schools. In 1975 the Federal district court placed South Boston High School in receivership because of the Boston School Committee's failure to carry out the court's desegregation order. Since 1976 there have been no major changes in the desegregation plan. However, the desegregation of kindergarten was ordered in May 1977 under the third phase of the plan. In 1978 approximately 150 schools were desegregated, and minority student enrollment at those schools approximates that of white enrollments. About 10 predominantly white schools in East Boston have been excluded from the desegregation plan. Also in 1978, the Federal district court removed South Boston High School from receivership, and a decision was made to phase out the citywide coordinating council, a court-established citizen advisory committee, by the end of the year. Thus, authority for desegregation efforts has been returned by the court to the School Committee and school staff. Desegregation of district schools has reportedly increased parental participation in school affairs. Community groups involved in the desegregation process consist of a citywide education coalition and the court-ordered parent advisory councils (CPACs) and community district advisory councils (CDACs). The termination of the citywide coordinating council has left the CPACS and CDACS with the major responsibility for involvement. Business and educational institutions have also become involved in the educational process, and tensions as well as pupil suspensions have decreased. In the 1977-78 school year total suspensions were 4,891, of which 63 percent were black, 30 percent were white, and 7 percent were Hispanic, Asian American, and American Indian. The figures demonstrate that blacks were suspended at double the rate of whites. The school system has continued to lose both black and white students who are transferring to private or parochial schools in the city. Other problems include continuing activity by antibusing groups, occasional racial incidents in the community, unresolved bilingual issues, and underrepresentation of black and Hispanic teachers and administrators. Buffalo, New York Profile Total student enrollment in Buffalo for the school year 1977-78 totaled 53,764 students. This figure included 26,285 whites, 24,615 blacks, 2,054 Hispanics, 729 American Indians, and 81 Asian Americans. In the 1970-71 school year there were 41,076 whites, 27,157 blacks, 1,535 Hispanics, 456 American Indians, and 76 Asian Americans. The school district's faculty in 1977-78 included 3,098 whites and 445 minorities, compared to 3,207 whites and 385 minorities in the 1970-71 school year. Administrative staff in 1977-78 included 192 whites and 36 blacks. In 1970-71 the figures were 263 whites and 24 minorities. There are currently three blacks and six whites on the school board, which represents an increase of two blacks since the 1970-71 school year. Buffalo public schools received $19.9 million in |