Ocean Hill-Brownsville was one of the three projects established by the New York City Board of Education to experiment with the reality of community participation. In time, much of the early optimism of community planners was dampened. The Board of Education's procrastination and its unwillingness to develop guidelines prior to the initiation of the projects helped to sow the seeds of discontent that eventually paved the way for the most volatile teacher strike in the history of New York City. In addition, the frustration and delay encountered by the community people set the stage for total rejection of the "system" by the communities involved. The events and developments in this complex may well serve as guidelines for future community organization, pointing the way for other communities seeking a way out of the educational decay which has crippled the public school system. (Author/DM)