This volume contains speeches made by educators, civil servants and administrators who attended a conference devoted to redefining the problems of education in the context of urban life. Edmund W. Gordon's presentation provides a basic framework of urbanicity, its environmental and social characteristics, and three broad categories which have special relevance for urban education: human diversity, human mobility, and human and institutional rigidity. Robert A. Dentler offers historical and cultural delineations of what constitutes urban and then discusses some of the forces which are modernizing Boston's educational system. Seymour B. Sarason outlines the role of resource exchange networks in education. Paul N. Yivisaker analyzes settlement patterns and their influence on educational trends. Bernard R. Gifford discusses urban education management and related problems. William Riles summarizes educational reform in California and cites examples of California's reform plan for intermediate and secondary education (RISE) being implemented in other states. Davis Seeley's presentation deals with problems in bureaucratic school structures and offers some remedies for improving their effectiveness and efficiency. Summaries of the discussions following the presentations are also included in this document. (Author/EB)