EMPOWER was an Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant awarded to Cabarrus County Schools by the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. EMPOWER provided social-emotional, academic, and non-cognitive supports in magnet school settings to students from low-income families. Family engagement and teacher…

Positive youth development (PYD) orients youth toward pro-social and forward-looking behavior through programs that emphasize youth empowerment and involvement, focus on skill development and character building, incorporate community collaboration at multiple levels, and include positive adult role models and mentors that interact with youth in…

This study of 952 fifth and sixth graders in Washington, DC, and Alexandria, Virginia, found that students who were offered the "Higher Achievement" program had higher test scores in mathematical problem solving and were more likely to be admitted to and attend private competitive high schools. "Higher Achievement" is a…

This study examined the perceptions of Language Arts teachers, Mathematics teachers, and administrators in four high schools in a large urban New Jersey school district regarding a standards-based teacher evaluation system implemented in 2003 adapted and modeled on "Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching" (Danielson,…

The three Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) schools: East Garner International Baccalaureate Magnet Middle School (EGMMS), Garner International Baccalaureate Magnet High School (GMHS), and Southeast Raleigh Leadership and Technology Magnet High School (SRMHS) have shown progress on MSAP performance measures during the 3rd year of the grant.…

The New York City Board of Education has instituted magnet educational programs in five city high schools offering special curricula not ordinarily available to secondary school students in their zoned high schools. Magnet courses were designed to assist high schools in their desegregation efforts and to reduce minority group isolation. The magnet…

A study examined the effectiveness of the Westport Business Technology Magnet High School (WHS) in Kansas City, Missouri, after its third year of operation. Data for the summative evaluation were obtained from the following: classroom observations/site visits; interviews, dialogues, and surveys of WHS teachers, students, and parents; and the…

A research study compared graduates of career magnet programs to graduates of comprehensive high schools in a large metropolitan area. The career magnet programs studied are located either within regular comprehensive high schools or combined with other magnet programs to fill an entire building. Research was conducted through school records of…

In June 2007, the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) was awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop the College Ready School Diagnostic, a web-based diagnostic instrument. The purpose of this tool is to provide individual school profiles and customized recommendations, enabling each institution to make…

The military theme at Northeast Law, Public Service, and Military High School in Kansas City, Missouri, was evaluated during its second year of implementation (the 1990-91 school year). After a shaky start, the second year brought increased stability to the program. Program objectives were in place, and all military theme staff had been hired by…

Magnet school programs were established in three Atlanta, Georgia, public high schools and were designed to provide specialized curriculum that was unique within the school system either in terms of the content area taught or the instructional strategies used. The programs were the Grady School of Communication, the North Fulton Center for…

The effectiveness of work-based learning (WBL) was examined in an exploratory study of WBL in three different programs in Los Angeles: a transportation career academy (TCAP), medical magnet high school (MMHS), and school-based enterprise (SBE). Data were collected from the following sources: surveys examining students' WBL experience; interviews…

During the 1987-88 school year the New York City Board of Education instituted Magnet School Programs in the following high schools: (1) Central Park East Secondary School; (2) The High School for the Humanities; (3) Townsend Harris High School; and (4) John Dewey High School. The programs at these schools were designed to offer special curricula…

Seventy students and 62 teachers and administrators in New York City career magnet and comprehensive schools were interviewed to learn why the career magnets were successful. A statistical analysis of student outcome data for the interview sites verified they were at least as effective as the typical magnet school. Interviews with students…

Studied the effect of programs within desegregated schools that serve an identified population of students for cultural affirmation and advancement. Ethnographic data from a girls' group at an urban magnet school and a Vietnamese students' homeroom, focusing on 20 high school students, in an urban comprehensive school demonstrate both the power of…