This monograph describes the major aspects involved in the desegregation of Dorchester County's schools and assesses the desegregation process to determine those factors which made the transition possible without violence or disruption to the educational system. The plan to desegregate the entire school system consisted of the reassignment of students at seven schools. Teachers were transferred in 21 of the 26 schools and approximately 20% of the entire faculty was reassigned. The Dorchester County experience indicates that only after the Board of Education hired a superintendent of schools specifically skilled in and committed to the process of desegregation did desegregation take place. Under the new leadership, a plan acceptable to HEW was designed and implemented within three months of his appointment. Another important conclusion from the Dorchester County experience is that desegregation works. Desegregation was planned and implemented without organized opposition, violence, or serious disruption of the educational process. This is especially significant because this county had repeatedly experienced violence about other civil rights issues during the 1960's. Students and faculty have been and remain desegregated for the most part. There has been minimal abandonment of the public school system by white families. There has been no overall decline in pupil achievement. (Author/AM)