This paper describes a longitudinal study of 10 racially mixed secondary schools across the country where the leadership decided to move toward reducing ability grouping or tracking in their school. Examples of the schools under study included an Appalachian school in a moderately-sized city and a wealthy suburban school of a large metropolitan area of the Midwest. It is not possible to understand the change process in a school without understanding the social, political, and historical context within which the school exists. Research on education politics and policy making at the local level showed that community type and the issues being debated affect the decision making process. Contains 19 references. (EH)