The desegregation of the Stamford public schools began in the 1960's with the construction of new schools to meet the needs of the growing student population. The board of education implemented a plan to desegregate the high schools in 1962, the middle schools in 1967 and '68, and the elementary schools in 1970 and '72. In desegregating its school system, the board of education used several different methods including busing and magnet schools. Issues roused by this action included: (1) adequate minority representation on the administrative and teaching staff, (2) curriculum modification related to the multiethnic classrooms, and (3) other issues such as student discipline, achievement, and attitudes. Among the findings of this report are the following: (1) the Stamford Board of Education was found to have successfully developed and implemented plans for the desegregation of the high, middle, and elementary schools over a 15 year period, (2) the under representation of minority staff in teaching, administrative, and other professional positions is one of the most serious problems in the school system, (3) ability grouping as it now operates tends to resegregate the school system and reinforce feelings of inadequacy in the minority students in the middle and high schools, (4) although no comprehensive survey was conducted, there is some evidence that indicates that some teachers had difficulty understanding and communicating with the minority students assigned to their schools, (5) discipline is an ongoing problem in the Stamford public school system (6) although no comprehensive review of programs for Spanish-speaking and other non-English-speaking students was conducted, members of the Spanish-speaking community and school department staff said that Spanish-speaking students were "at the bottom of the ladder", and (7) there is inadequate participation on the part of minority parents in the parent teacher associations. (Author/AM)