A study was conducted to explore the options and costs of both voluntary and compulsory solutions to metropolitan school desegregation. The study focused on the Saint Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, metropolitan areas which are examples of settings in which desegregation can occur. The demographic characteristics of these central cities and their outlying suburbs are presented, as is a discussion of the legal status of desegregation in the two cities. Analysis indicates that metropolitan desegregation plans are viable solutions for the desegregation of schools and the reduction of racial isolation in these Missouri cities. Metropolitan desegregation requires interdistrict cooperation and the transfer of students between schools and school districts. Interdistrict transportation and magnet schools are discussed as desegregation tools that Saint Louis and Kansas City could implement on a voluntary basis to complement metropolitan desegregation. Specific findings of the study and recommendations are included. (MK)