West Charlotte's segregation history makes Retro Report

A 10-minute documentary about the history of court-ordered desegregation and its reversal in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools -- specifically at West Charlotte High  --  went online today as part of the Retro Report, a new documentary news group created to give historic context to issues in the news.

Griffin

"The Battle for Busing"  uses archival news clips and interviews with participants,  especially former school board Chairman Arthur Griffin,  who experienced segregation and desegregation as a student.  As board chair,  Griffin led the court battle to keep race-based student assignment for diversity in place.  After losing that fight,  Griffin says in the documentary,  he decided not to seek election because "I was out of step."

"I said,  'I'll just step aside and I won't try to stop you and we'll see what happens,' "  says Griffin,  who is now an executive with McGraw-Hill Education.

What happened,  in terms of racial composition,  was that West Charlotte went from being viewed as a national model for desegregation  --  "a darling of the national media,"  as the report puts it  --  to reverting to its origins as a black high school. Although no one is assigned by race now,  last year 87 percent of West Charlotte students were black and 2 percent were white  (2013-14 numbers aren't in yet).

Retro Report was created with a grant from former television editor Christopher Buck;  read more about the nonprofit group that emerged here.  "Retro Report is there to pick up the story after everyone has moved on, connecting the dots from yesterday to today, correcting the record and providing a permanent living library where viewers can gain new insight into the events that shaped their lives,"  the introduction says.

The New York Times features Retro Report on its online  "Booming"  section,  designed to appeal to those of us born between 1946 and 1964.  

Couple featured in Booming (remember this look?)

CMS principals, Apple crew talk transformation

Charlotte-Mecklenburg's principals will meet with a team from Apple on Wednesday and Thursday to launch a school year that's focused on turning each school into a  "school of choice."

Kemker

Kate Kemker,  Apple's Southeast education development executive and a former technology official with the Florida Department of Education,  will lead the first day's  "Challenge for Change"  session at Hopewell High. She's one of 12 Apple staffers the company is sending at no cost to CMS,  Chief Communications Officer Kathryn Block says.  The second day will include sessions by another Apple executive,  Stephanie Hamilton;  Jonathan Travers of Education Resource Strategies;  Block and local leadership consultant Mike Whitehead.

The two-day  "transformation summit"  is central to Superintendent Heath Morrison's vision for long-term academic success,  in which principals lead faculty,  families,  students and community partners in creating schools with individually tailored academic programs,  teaching strategies and schedules.

But every time Morrison and his staff enthuse about the Apple-led sessions, I scratch my head.  Isn't Apple in the business of selling computers,  digital devices and software?  Wouldn't any vendor leap at the chance to lead a planning session for the nation's 17th largest school district?

In a 2011 series on  "Grading the Digital School,"  the New York Times noted Apple's savvy at  "wooing and wowing"  educators.

"The demand for technology in classrooms has given rise to a slick and fast-growing sales force. Makers of computers and other gear vigorously court educators as they vie for billions of dollars in school financing. Sometimes inviting criticism of their zealous marketing, they pitch via e-mail, make cold calls, arrange luncheons and hold community meetings,"  reporter Matt Richtel wrote.

"But Apple in particular woos the education market with a state-of-the art sales operation that educators say is unique,  and that,  public-interest watchdogs say,  raises some concerns. Along with more traditional methods,  Apple invites educators from around the country to  'executive briefings,'  which participants describe as equal parts conversation,  seminar and backstage pass."

This week's session follows a trip by Morrison and four other CMS administrators to Apple headquarters in July.  But Block said the exchange of visits isn't tied to a CMS purchase.  "We have no idea if it's going to translate into the use of Apple products,"  Block said.