UNLESS THE RATE OF INTEGRATION IN NORTHERN SCHOOLS IN LARGE CITIES ACCELERATES, THERE WILL BE EXTENSIVE URBAN SEGREGATION UNTIL AT LEAST THE MID-21ST CENTURY. HOWEVER, DATA FROM SMALLER CITIES SHOW THAT THERE SEEM TO BE "UNIFORM" CONDITIONS WHICH FAVOR DESEGREGATION--NEGRO PROTEST ACTION, STIMULUS FROM EXTRA-LOCAL AUTHORITY, AND A LESS HIGHLY STRATIFIED RELIGIOUS OR RACIAL CLASS STRUCTURE. BUT THE CASE HISTORY OF "LITTLE CITY" ILLUSTRATES HOW THE ATTITUDE STRUCTURE OF BOTH RACES IMPEDES INTEGRATION. IN THE BIG CITIES, TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS TO THIS PROBLEM CAN BE BASED ON RATIONAL PUPIL ASSIGNMENT, REVISED BUILDING PLANS WHICH MAY INVOLVE PUPIL TRANSPORTATION, AND EDUCATIONAL PARKS. THESE SOLUTIONS ARE AVAILABLE BUT ARE RESISTED. IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT NOT A SINGLE BIG CITY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT HAS MADE AN EMPHATIC COMMITMENT TO DESEGREGATION, A POSITION WHICH WOULD BE EXCEEDINGLY INFLUENTIAL. PRESERVATION OF THE "STATUS QUO" POWER STRUCTURE IS THE MAJOR MOTIVATION FOR OPPOSITION TO CHANGE AND IS RELATED TO POLITICAL AND EDUCATIONAL BUREAUCRATIC INTERESTS. CHANGE IMPLIES GREAT POLITICAL RISKS BUT WILL PROBABLY OCCUR IN MOST OF THE LARGE NORTHERN CITIES AS A RESULT OF THE FISCAL PRESSURES OF MAINTAINING GHETTO SCHOOLS AND AS SUPERINTENDENTS BEGIN TO ESPOUSE RACIAL BALANCE. (NH)