This paper summarizes the "Survey of Magnet Schools," a study of the effectiveness of such schools in a nationally representative sample of 15 urban school districts. Among the significant findings are the following: (1) between 1981 and 1983 magnet school enrollments ranged from 21 percent to 71 percent white, a slightly higher percentage of white students than district averages; (2) magnet schools share a number of characteristics with "effective schools," including strong leadership, a cohesive curriculum, high expectations, and a consensus among faculty, students, and parents about the goals of their schools; (3) educational quality in magnet schools is at the same level as or higher than that in more traditional schools; (4) the quality of a magnet school depends most on its leadership, institutional coherence, and relationship to the school district; (5) most magnet schools are moderately selective and do not appear to be rejecting the average student; (6) there is little correlation between a magnet school's degree of selectivity and its degree of educational quality or integration; (7) magnet schools have reduced the percentage of students in racially isolated schools from 60 percent to less than 30 percent; and (8) a magnet school that is racially and ethnically integrated is, generally, also a school that provides a highly effective learning environment. This paper concludes with a list of factors found to contribute to the success of a magnet school. (KH)