Educational leaders face significant obstacles when attempting to work on race relations in schools. This article describes the response of one suburban high school to its changing racial composition. The perspectives of several key leaders are presented, and three key leadership events are examined. An analysis of these events using embedded intergroup relations theory reveals that the high school and the community were unable to authorize key members to do the work of improving race relations. Furthermore, significant boundary problems, such as central office intrusion and the absence of key members of the high school community, weakened the efforts of concerned staff. The study suggests that the application of embedded intergroup relations theory to race relations in schools improves the likelihood of successful research and consultations.
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