The paper reports on the Vanguard Program, (Houston, Texas), an interdisciplinary, multilevel instructional program for gifted and creative children. The program, one component of Houston's Magnet school approach designed to comply with desegregation rulings, developed broadened criteria for identifying gifted minority students. Vanguard has…

Magnet schools gained prominence in education in the 1970s as a tool for achieving voluntary desegregation in lieu of forced busing. The theory behind magnet schools as a desegregation tool is simple: Create a school so distinctive and appealing--so magnetic--that it will draw a diverse range of families from throughout the community eager to…