Fifty years ago, nine black students walked through the doors of Little Rock Central High School, guarded by U.S. Army and National Guard troops dispatched to protect them from angry white residents protesting integration. Now, Arkansas is inviting the world to turn its eyes to Little Rock--this time, to see how far the city has come since those turbulent days. But while the commemorative activities go on, the school district itself is at the center of racial and power struggles. Roy G. Brooks, the black superintendent who riled the teachers' union and earned the enmity of the black school board majority, was fired last month after months of controversy, with a $635,000 buyout cushioning his fall. Part of Mr. Brooks' problem, say those who approved his ouster, was that he was abrasive toward members of the black community, and fired a number of black school employees. This article describes how the integration fight could still be felt 50 years later in ongoing struggles over leadership and direction of public schools. Allegations of racism and favoritism that have swirled around the school board in the past several months loom especially large during a time of celebrations intended to trumpet racial healing.