Public policymaking issues, equality in education, political democracy, organizational efficiency, and citizen participation in urban schools are discussed. Because of the growing concern about policymaking arrangements for inner city schools, a longitudinal study was conducted from 1967-1970 in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Columbus, and Chicago by scholars representing political science and educational administration. A team in each city studied the local education board, the relationships between school boards and superintendents, the information bases and communication patterns of decisionmaking, and the policy-oriented relationships between school officials and influential parties. Significant features from each study are synthesized and the emerging issues within the project scope are examined. Analysts conclude that a cluster of social, cultural, and political dimensions of the urban school organization inhibit an equitable flow of resources to inner city schools and limit and lower the quality of urban education and educational policymaking. Thirteen federal policy suggestions are provided, and recommendations for overcoming financial constraints include avoiding noncategorical aid, reuniting State and urban educational governance, reforming the nation's educational information system, and improving the education profession's contribution. (For related document, see ED 058 473.) (Author/EA)