This paper discusses the magnet school concept as a potential approach for achieving school desegregation while producing educational and social benefits for white and minority students alike. The author begins by reviewing the history of school desegregation in North Carolina from 1954 to the present, then briefly discusses the birth of alternative educational programs in the state. The second half of the paper describes two successful magnet school programs in North Carolina, the extended day program at the Mary E. Phillips Elementary School in Raleigh and the talented and gifted program at the Lucille Hunter Elementary School in Raleigh. (JG)