The program considered here is said to be one of the most comprehensive in the country. Only in its third year, it has 14 different types of alternative schools in 30 different locations. (Author/AM)

This paper describes magnet schools as thematic islands of choice within a traditional district-assignment plan. These "islands of choice" are currently the most popular destination with those who exercise some choice in where they send their children to school. During the 1991-92 school year, 3,200 magnet schools were in operation, hosting some…

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…

In the 1982-83 school year, the Cincinnati Public Schools operated 21 alternative programs designed to provide specialized learning experiences along with the traditional academic curricula. Since balanced racial composition is a primary goal of these programs, applications are received from students regardless of where they reside in Cincinnati,…

Almost 14,000 students in the Cincinnati Public Schools attended alternative programs during the 1983-84 year. These voluntary programs were designed to create racially balanced schools and to provide specialized learning experiences along with traditional academic curriculum. Acceptance to the programs is based primarily on racial balance, but…

The objective of the magnet schools concept is to create quality educational programs with distinctive features which can attract or retain pupils of various ethnic types, and thereby contribute to racial balance in the schools. Magnet schools are intended to promote desegregation by permitting parents to make voluntary choices among schools,…

The St. Louis Public Schools have used magnet schools to meet the goals of desegregating the system and improving the quality of education for students. The changes in the St. Louis Schools began in 1975 with the issuance of a Consent Judgement and Decree. The Consent Decree provides broad guidelines which allow the system to develop specific…

As educators try to make schools more responsive to the diverse needs of students, public alternative schools are becoming increasingly investigated as viable and necessary options. This book provides an overview of public alternative education in the United Sates. Following the foreword by Robert D. Barr, acknowledgements, and the introduction,…

Against the backdrop of school choice as a pivotal element in educational reform, Hawaii has developd its own variant of the magnet school concept--the Learning Center Program, initiated in January 1987. Following a brief period of implementation at 14 high school sites, the program was evaluated and expanded to include 20 centers during the…

This book contains eight papers on a study of the effects of academic career magnetic education on high schools and their graduates. "Introduction" (Robert L. Crain) explains the study's objectives and methodology, which included an analysis of data files on 9,176 students who applied to 59 different academic career magnet education and…

Magnet school programs require careful planning. Originally designed to achieve voluntary desegregation, magnet programs attract students of all races and backgrounds by offering special curricular themes and instructional approaches not offered in neighborhood schools. Outcomes of a successful program include the following: (1) desegregation; (2)…