This paper on the interrelations between school desegregation and crisis prevention is presented both as a position paper and as the formulation of the research agenda for the Desegregation Studies Unit, NIE. It has five basic purposes, as follows: (a) identification and definition of the parameters of the issue area; (b) placing the area within the context of the national desegregation efforts; (c) presenting the rationale for the inclusion of crisis prevention within the research efforts of the Desegregation Unit; (d) describing present efforts and state-of-the-art which will underline the understanding of the mechanisms and processes available for crisis prevention; and, (e) presentation of the NIE research priorities in this area. A discussion focusing on participants in and characteristics of the local school system which are crucial to understanding the dynamics of critical situations, suggests that there are four primary groups who need to be involved in any program to prevent critical incidents during the process of school desegregation. A need for a better information retrieval and dissemination system to improve the shared understanding of what are the effective strategies and methods for crisis prevention is addressed. The research agenda section concludes by stating that the rationale for the development of techniques in crisis prevention lies in the ability to transform the potential conflict ridden situation of school desegregation into a period of transition that ultimately benefits students, staff and community. (Author/AM)