The flight of white families from communities in response to school desegregation can be calculated as a "cost" of desegregation, and can be analyzed in relation to the "net benefit"--interracial contact--of various school desegregation plans. Moreover, mass media and minimally, community leadership, affect the rate of white flight. Data on 113 school districts, measured in terms of reassignment of black and white students by a court or local government, indicate that implementation year costs are greater when school desegregation plans are phased in, rather than completely implemented in one year. The greatest white enrollment loss in both cases comes in the year of implementation. Losses average out to zero or even a gain over a five-year period in all but 35% of the school districts. All school desegregation plans show a net benefit in interracial contact. Analysis of news coverage of school desegregation shows that community leadership has very little effect on white flight or protest, but that the more negative the news media and coverage the greater the white flight. In addition, the average severity of protest in the first six months of the pre desegregation year also has an effect on white flight independent of the degree of school desegregation. (Author/KR)