This paper discusses magnet schools generally and evaluates the other papers included with it in a single volume. Magnet schools have been fairly successful in meeting their stated goals, and in some cities, such as New York, they are so popular that parents must compete to gain their children's entrance. Still, magnets have tended to rely more on curricular than instructional innovation, and thus they have failed to meet the increasingly apparent need for new pedagogies that can succeed with disadvantaged youngsters. This tendency will likely change in the future, along with new reform efforts in the area of school structure. Magnet schools might well become the vanguard in the search for new ways to organize and present schooling. Research on magnet schools has emphasized either the view of the practitioner within a particular program or an outsider's view, but some combination of both may be needed. The design and monitoring of magnet plans is crucial to their success, but success also depends heavily upon how organizational structures, culture, and climate are interwoven. The papers in this volume underscore concerns about a shift in emphasis from equity to excellence, and a tendency to direct too much attention to educational technology and not enough to the original goals of magnets. Magnet schools offer great promise, but officials must take fuller advantage of the unit autonomy extended to them in order to avoid the problems of other schools. (KH)