Ten steps are described for planning and development of magnet schools: identifying needs; establishing desegregation and education objectives; developing district program strategy; selecting leaders; identifying and allocating resources; designing individual magnet schools; developing curriculum around magnet theme; publicizing the program and…

The one-size-fits-all public schools inherited from the nineteenth century can be transformed if parents have the right to choose schools their children will attend. Schools of choice will improve both the attitudes and performance of students. Teachers and administrators will be more professional, and school boards can meet their responsibilities…

Technology for Science is a National Science Foundation funded program that is developing and testing curriculum units for teacher materials built around a series of design-oriented science problems called "challenges," mainly for ninth-grade general and physical science classes. Technology for science challenges have a clear connection…

This planning guide begins with a working definition of "magnet school" and then gives short descriptions of six sample types of elementary level magnet programs: a fundamental or academic prep school, a Montessori school, a music academy, an earth science school or environmental center, a bilingual-multicultural magnet, and a fine arts academy.…

The City Magnet School in Lowell, Massachusetts, involves parents in policymaking, the principal and teachers in curriculum-setting and budgeting, and the kindergarten to eighth-grade students in defining the design and operation of the simulated "real world" society that forms the context in which the school's educational efforts occur.…

By granting teachers greater empowerment and higher compensation in return for closer involvement with students, Rochester City School District is seeking to make public schools successful for all students. (Author/TE)

A partnership between Mount Holyoke College and a cash-starved school system led to the opening of Holyoke Magnet Middle School for the Arts. Only 20 percent of the school's budget is funded by the district; more than $500,000 is raised from outside public and private sources. Offers fund-raising tips. (MLF)

The author recently had the same conversation about local school reform with two superintendents--one from a large, urban district in the East and the other from a small district in the Midwest. Both superintendents were working with their respective boards to approve, design and fund reading initiatives consistent with the new federal guidelines.…

In recent years, parents have benefited from a significant expansion of educational options for their children. Parents have many more opportunities than just a few years ago to choose from an array of public school options, including charter, virtual, and magnet schools. Expanding educational options for parents is one of the hallmarks of the…

After years of reform and accompanying frustration, public schools of choice have become one of today's most popular school reform strategies. More than 20 states have either passed choice legislation or are considering such action. At the present, plans based on parental influence represent the majority of district choice plans, including magnet…

A program to expand and improve magnet schools in Texas' Austin Independent School District (AISD) was funded by the U.S. Department of Education in 1985-1986. Results of the program were: (1) increased and more stable enrollments in magnet elementary schools; (2) large achievement gains in readings, mathematics and science for students in a high…

A program to expand and improve magnet schools in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) was funded by the U.S. Department of Education in 1985-1986. Results of the program were: (1) increased and more stable enrollments in magnet elementary schools; (2) large achievement gains in reading, mathematics and science for students in a high…

In this guide, the results and findings of a major survey of magnet schools are organized into a practical manual for school districts to use in planning, developing, and implementing new magnet programs or improving those already in existence. The guide is divided into three sections: (1) key steps in magnet program development (an outline of…

Criticizes national education reports that call for a return to authoritarian schools in order to achieve excellence. Extolls the strengths and achievements for which magnet schools are responsible. (MD)

Reports on a two-year study of magnet schools evaluating educational quality and desegregation. Findings show that magnet schools can improve the quality of education in urban school districts. (MD)