This dissertation provides current research into the issues and prospects of metropolitan school integration. The principal data used in the research are the district court, appeals court and Supreme Court opinions written for the cases selected. The data collected was systematically analyzed for a summary of essential facts, definitions of the major issues in dispute, educational components, and the significant legal principles set forth in the cases. The five major court cases analyzed are cases in which efforts were made to merge predominantly black urban school districts with predominantly white suburban districts. Those cases are : (1) Bradley v. School Board of the City of Richmond, Virginia; (2) Bradley v. Milliken, Detroit, Michigan, (3) United States v. Board of School Commissioners, Indianapolis, Indiana; (4) NewBerg Area Council v. Jefferson County Board of Education, Louisville, Kentucky; and (5) Evans, v. Buchanan, Wilmington, Delaware. The findings clearly indicate that where dejure segregation can be proven, the courts are willing to cross traditional city-suburban boundaries as a means of providing relief to plaintiffs. (Author/AM)