The next year, the Schools Superintendent, Joseph Robitaille, proposed a plan to close some schools and bus some minority-group children to white schools.

Rabbi Brickner said the real cause of crime in all major cities was the economic disparity between racial groups and the sense of hopelessness it engendered in minority-group children.

When we ask low-income, minority-group children to achieve in school -an instrument of mainstream society - we are often asking them to be different from their parents.

Mr. Beach said his interest in attracting minority-group children, in particular, to the programs was "a response to a dramatically changing mix in the next generation."

Mr. Cuomo, opening a conference of educators, officials, political leaders, economists and social workers on the plight of minority-group children, said it was imperative to "reach down" and help them.

Mr. Perales said "unless we act," life would deteriorate for minority-group children.

B2 Help for minority-group children was called for by Governor Cuomo.

Then the school looks for out-of-zone minority-group children to preserve the historic ethnic and racial balance of about 50 percent minority and 50 percent white.

On one side, educators said the theory could be used to segregate minority-group children and give them inferior educations.

Much more needs to be accomplished in the recruitment of minority-group families for minority-group children.