Desegregation in education is now a matter of national policy initiated by the Federal courts and spurred on by Congress in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Emergency School Aid Act of 1972. No one, however, has attempted to delineate a comprehensive set of guiding rules, or a reasonable modus operandi in resolving disputes. Within a single district (while confusion remains) the overall judicial commands afford a basis for intelligent action. The metropolitan solution, however, is as yet only a concept, requiring for its implementation guidelines more complex and covering more problems than integration within a single district. Unfortunately, such guidelines have been illuminated only in conflicting fragments by the courts. The purpose of this paper is to delineate the extent to which the Keyes and Bradley Supreme Court cases clear the air. (Author/JF)