This text presents the results of a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the development and activities of the Six School Complex, a group of schools in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Complex was organized in 1975 to cope with population shifts by increasing the number of neighborhood children attending public schools, to broaden and improve the quality of educational programs in the schools at reasonable costs, and to foster greater social integration. The book is organized into seven chapters which discuss the following topics: (1) events which led to the formation of the Complex, and details of the first two years' activities; (2) demographic and enrollment trends that affected the Six School community in the mid-1970s; (3) development of a special program for students in transition at the Hardy Middle School; (4) development of the Fillmore School, first as a special resource center, then as an arts center; (5) administration, organization, and leadership of the program; (6) critical issues faced by the Complex, including teaching staff, curriculum development, buses, enrollment policy and patterns, and the issue of boundary revisions for the elementary schools; and (7) summary of key developments of the Complex which can serve as guidelines for the formation of similar clusters, and further examples of innovative and cooperative arrangements among nearby public schools. An extensive list of references is included. Six appendices include proposals, memoranda, plans, bylaws, and guidelines used by the Complex. (PS)