Established by order of the U.S. District Court in March 1977, following the Court's December 1976 order providing for the integration of Springfield public schools. Chaired by Ed Armstrong, editor of the Illinois State-Journal Register. Volunteers monitored classrooms and observed bus routes during the first year of integrating Springfield's public schools, rating student-teacher and black-white student relationships, discipline, and health and safety.

Administrative records, bus routes, correspondence, minutes, member and volunteer lists, monitor lists, monitoring report forms, speech narrative, speech outline, monitoring guidelines, monitoring schedules, bus routes, directories and school schedules, and school enrollment records documenting the policies, procedures, monitoring activities and membership of the Commission, and its relationships with volunteers and the District 186 School Board. Of note are the completed monitoring forms used by volunteers.