CURRENT POPULATION TRENDS HAVE CREATED VAST EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS IN LARGE URBAN CENTERS. WHILE THOUSANDS OF LOW-INCOME PUERTO RICANS AND NEGROES HAVE MIGRATED TO CENTRAL-CITY AREAS, WHITE MIDDLE-CLASS PERSONS AND EXPANDING INDUSTRIES CONTINUE TO RELOCATE IN THE SUBURBS. AT LEAST THREE OUT OF EVERY 10 PUBLIC SCHOOL PUPILS ATTEND SCHOOLS IN LARGE-CITY SYSTEMS. HOWEVER, BECAUSE GOOD TEACHERS ARE FREQUENTLY DRAWN TO THE MORE PRESTIGIOUS SUBURBS WHERE HIGHER SALARIES ARE OFFERED, LARGE-CITY SCHOOLS ARE UNDERSTAFFED AND OVERCROWDED. MOREOVER, LARGE-CITY SYSTEMS, UNLIKE THE MORE AUTONOMOUS SUBURBAN AND SMALL-CITY SCHOOLS, ARE LARGELY CONTROLLED BY THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT AND BY CITY BUSINESSMEN WHO ARE CONCERNED WITH LOWERING TAXES AND "PREVENTING IDEOLOGICAL HERESY." ALTHOUGH SCHOOLS IN SMALL CITIES REMAIN STRONG AND CONTINUE TO FUNCTION DEMOCRATICALLY, SMALL CITIES THEMSELVES ARE A VANISHING ENTITY. EDUCATIONAL POLICY MAKERS MUST THEREFORE BEGIN TO FORMULATE POLICIES IN KEEPING WITH THE INCREASING NUMBER OF SCHOOLS IN LARGE CITIES. THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN "PHI DELTA KAPPAN," VOLUME 48, NUMBER 7, MARCH 1967. (LB)