THE NEW YORK CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION HAS INSTITUTED A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS TO ACHIEVE ETHNIC BALANCE IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEMS OF RACIAL INTEGRATION, WHICH RESULT FROM HOUSING, MOVEMENT OF WHITE POPULATION, GROWTH OF NONPUBLIC EDUCATION, AND THE DIFFERENTIAL RATE OF ETHNIC CHANGE IN THE VARIOUS BOROUGHS, REFLECT A CONDITION OF THE TOTAL "FABRIC" OF SOCIETY AND, AS SUCH, ARE BEYOND THE CONTROL OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. OF THE FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE RACIAL INTEGRATION IN THE SCHOOLS--NUMBER AND ETHNIC STATUS OF SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN, NUMBER AND ETHNIC STATUS OF THOSE ENROLLED IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF THE CHILDREN IN THE CITY BY ETHNIC GROUPS, AND ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH DETERMINE PLACEMENT IN PARTICULAR SCHOOLS--IT IS ONLY THE LAST FACTOR WHICH CAN BE CONTROLLED BY THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. THE BOARD'S SPECIFIC ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES TO ACHIEVE INTEGRATION ARE (1) NEW SCHOOL ZONING (2) TRANSPORTING PUPILS TO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, (3) THE FREE CHOICE-OPEN ENROLLMENT PLAN, (4) THE "REVERSE" OPEN ENROLLMENT PLAN, (5) COMMUNITY ZONING PLANS (PRINCETON PLAN), (6) CHANGED FEEDER PATTERNS FOR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS, (7) THE ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENT PLAN, (8) VARIOUS HIGH SCHOOL ZONING AND OPEN ADMISSIONS PLANS, (9) INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS, (10) EDUCATIONAL PARKS, AND (11) VARIOUS SPECIAL PLANS OF ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS. (JL)