In addition to collecting and analyzing information about progress on desegregation plan implementation, each of the court ordered citizens groups mentioned functions as a "third party" between the defendants (state education departments and local school officials) and the plaintiffs, and among school employees, students, parents, the public, and the judge. Commonalities and differences exist among the monitoring groups in Boston, Dayton, Denver, and Detroit. After the first year of operation in Denver, Detroit, and Boston, changes have been ordered by the judges with respect to mission, membership and funding levels of groups. These modifications have been based on each judge's assessment of the effectiveness of the group, and the kind of citizen help which is required at the particular stage of a school district's implementation. Some of the issues and problems facing court ordered citizens commissions include the following: (1) sustaining the commitment of volunteers, (2) encompassing diverse perspectives, and (3) coping with school systems undergoing change. The success of a court ordered monitoring citizens group relates to: (1) the manner in which the presiding judge initiates and attends to the matters assigned to the citizens group, (2) how the citizens group assumes its responsibility, the clarity with which it understands its mission, and the manner in which it expands its capabilities, (3) the attitudes and degree of cooperation from school officials and school employees, and (4) the reaction of the community to the monitoring commission. (Author/AM)