Criticizes current research for equating declining urban school enrollments with White flight. Describes a study conducted in Louisville (Jefferson County), Kentucky, in which birth rate decline and ongoing out-migration variables were considered. Shows that many White families, rather than leaving the community, actually transferred their…

Considers declining enrollment, White flight, and the fiscal crisis in the public schools. Shows how these factors coalesced in a school-closing suit in Santa Barbara, California, and discusses the implications of the court's decision for Mexican American education in that state. (GC)