In Memphis Classrooms, the Ghost of Segregation Lingers On
FEB 13 2012, 12:13 PM ET 18Manassas was built on what used to be housing projects, meaning a major source of students no longer exists. But the small size allows for Griffin, the principal, to pay close attention to the remaining students. After calling a child who has fallen behind, Griffin often brings in the family to see him in person. He once traveled to the workplace of a mother who couldn't make it to the school.
Griffin -- trained by one of the private groups that have flocked to the city in the last three years to help improve its struggling schools -- has been on the job a year and a half. Many of the teachers are also new after Griffin replaced nearly half the staff. Classes of 15 students spread out in classrooms big enough for 40, with banks of computers lining the walls. Empty rooms have been converted into
