A PROFESSIONAL STUDY WAS CONTRACTED BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TO ASSESS THE LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT'S PROGRESS IN MOVING FROM A DUAL TO AN INTEGRATED SCHOOL SYSTEM. AN EVALUATION OF COMMUNITY ATTITUDES AND THE EXTENT OF INFLUENCE GIVEN BY CIVIC LEADERS INDICATED GENERALLY FAVORABLE SUPPORT FOR IMPROVEMENTS ALREADY MADE BUT LITTLE ACTIVE SUPPORT FOR A FULLY INTEGRATED PROGRAM. AS A BASIS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS, THE STUDY TEAM INTERVIEWED 120 REPRESENTATIVE STAFF MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, ANALYZED RESIDENTIAL PATTERNS AND POPULATION TRENDS, SURVEYED SCHOOL FACILITIES, AND DETERMINED THE RELATIVE INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS PRESSURE GROUPS UPON THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. OBSTACLES TO ACHIEVING AN IMPROVED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM INCLUDE HUMAN RESISTANCE TO CHANGE, LACK OF MUTUAL TRUST AMONG PARTICIPANTS, POOR COMMUNICATION, AND LACK OF STAFF INVOLVEMENT IN CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, STAFF TRANSFER, AND THE BUDGETING PROCESS. POSITIVE FEATURES INCLUDE LARGELY EQUIVALENT PREPARATION FOR WHITE AND NONWHITE TEACHERS, STAFF CONFIDENCE IN THE ABILITY OF PEERS TO TEACH EFFECTIVELY IN AN INTEGRATED EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, AND A HIGH DEGREE OF STAFF COMMITMENT TO TEACHING AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. AN EDUCATIONAL PARK IS PROPOSED AS THE KEY TO A LONG-RANGE PLAN FOR EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. THE ENTIRE SCHOOL SYSTEM WOULD BE REGARDED AS A SINGLE PARK, WITH SEPARATE SCHOOLS FOR GRADES 1--5, 6--8, 9--10, AND 11--12. (JK)