At a time when race and inequality dominate national debates, the story
of West Charlotte High School illuminates the possibilities and
challenges of using racial and economic desegregation to foster
educational equality. West Charlotte opened in 1938 as a segregated
school that embodied the aspirations of the growing African American
population of Charlotte, North Carolina. In the 1970s, when Charlotte
began court-ordered busing, black and white families made West Charlotte
the celebrated flagship of the most integrated major school system in
the nation. But as the twentieth century neared its close and a new
court order eliminated race-based busing, Charlotte schools resegregated
along lines of class as well as race. West Charlotte became the city's
poorest, lowest-performing high school--a striking reminder of the
people and places that Charlotte's rapid growth had left behind. While
dedicated teachers continue to educate children, the school's challenges
underscore the painful consequences of resegregation.
Drawing on nearly two decades of interviews with students, educators,
and alumni, Pamela Grundy uses the history of a community's beloved
school to tell a broader American story of education, community,
democracy, and race--all while raising questions about present-day
strategies for school reform.