This document is a compilation of the presentations made at the Conference on Magnet Schools for Desegregation held in the Fall of 1977. It provides an overview of many types of magnet school programs and their degree of success. Presentations include a paper on the Federal government and magnet schools; some promises and cautions regarding magnet…

Politicians and chambers of commerce in Prince George's County, Maryland, recognized the need to improve opportunities for and achievement by Black students. Magnet and compensatory programs were implemented, as well as the "Comer School Development Program," which places special emphasis on parental involvement. (MLW)

The Buffalo Public Schools have developed magnet schools to aid desegregation plans and to provide for different student needs and learning styles. The Academic Challenge Center is designed to meet concerns about declining reading and math scores. The Buffalo Traditional School emphasizes traditional learning styles and puts a high priority on…

Describes programs in four of Milwaukee's specialty schools--a school for the gifted and talented, one for the creative arts, one for foreign languages, and one emphasizing the basics. (IRT)

Describes the Dallas district's involvement in desegregation, magnet schools, and the involvement of parents and business in the schools. These efforts should be seen as part of a larger effort at reform and renewal throughout the district. (Author/IRT)

Described in this document are a number of magnet school programs developed and operating in Massachusetts as part of a voluntary school desegregation plan. A historical perspective of magnet school development is provided along with definitions and guidelines of both magnet schools and magnet education programs. These definitions and guidelines…

The Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA) Title VI provided funds to assist in the voluntary desegregation of the Milwaukee Public Schools through a variety of magnet special school programs which would attract area-wide or district-wide enrollment. These special programs are located in elementary, middle, and senior high schools throughout the city.…

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…

A project-wide evaluation of the Houston, Texas magnet school program indicated that it successfully implemented four court-defined desegregation goals: (1) fewer schools which are 90% or more white or combined black and Mexican-American; (2) fewer students who attend such schools; (3) free transportation for magnet school students; and (4) an…

This paper is a summary report of the "Study of the Emergency School Aid Act Magnet School Program" which was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of magnet school programs as a strategy in school desegregation. The representative sample of eighteen schools used in the study and their community contexts are described, and the…

Describes the Knight Fundamental Academy, a magnet school in the Denver (Colorado) public school system. The academy has demonstrated academic achievement through a rigorous course of instruction in the fundamentals with traditional teaching. Parent involvement is an essential part of the school's philosophy, as are respect and good manners. (SLD)

This two-part anthology of research summaries examines the potential of magnet schools to provide equal education and educational access for minority group children and reviews successful magnet programs. Part 1, "Magnet Schools, Desegregation, and Choice," contains the following chapters: (1) "Using Magnet Schools for…

In this report, 22 successful integrated educational programs in California are described in terms of school environment, services offered, grade levels served, curriculum emphasis, number and ethnic composition of participants, funding, location, staffing, special facilities, method of bringing students together, time students spend in program,…

In order to promote voluntary integration in two high schools and a middle school, the Fort Worth Independent School District in Texas developed a magnet program that offers specialized curricula: engineering at the all black Dunbar High School, finance at the predominantly black Polytechnic High School, and communications at Dunbar Middle School.…