This paper discusses magnet schools generally and evaluates the other papers included with it in a single volume. Magnet schools have been fairly successful in meeting their stated goals, and in some cities, such as New York, they are so popular that parents must compete to gain their children's entrance. Still, magnets have tended to rely more on…

This paper outlines an alternative desegregation plan that would replace the one implemented in the East Baton Rouge Parish (Louisiana) School District in 1981. Known as the Incentives Desegregation Plan, the alternative plan was designed to produce interracial contact comparable to the earlier plan, without incurring the attendant costs of…

This paper examines the range of resources required to plan, develop and implement magnet schools. Information is based on a comparative study of the relative costs of magnet and regular schools in a large, urban school district over a six-year period. Using traditional measures of per student costs, the study found that real spending per pupil…

This paper, based on a recent comparative study of magnet schools conducted by the Department of Education, describes the features of successfully designed magnet schools. First, the paper highlights some of the major findings from the study on which it is based. Although there is a wide degree of variation in the design, development, and…

In this guide, the results and findings of a major survey of magnet schools are organized into a practical manual for school districts to use in planning, developing, and implementing new magnet programs or improving those already in existence. The guide is divided into three sections: (1) key steps in magnet program development (an outline of…

The 1984-85 Magnet Program of the Fort Worth (Texas) Independent School District is described and evaluated in this report. General data and information on specific sites are included. The major finding was that the Fort Worth magnet schools were highly successful in providing for high academic performance, and moderately successful as an…

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas mandated that the report to the Court by the Dallas Independent School District describing its progress toward desegregation be reviewed by an external auditor. This report presents the auditor's findings for 1977-78. The auditor reviewed the accountability report submitted by the…

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas mandated that the report to the Court by the Dallas Independent School District describing its progress toward desegregation be reviewed by an external auditor. This report presents the auditor's findings for 1978-79. The auditor reviewed the report and conducted on-site visits to…

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas mandated that the report to the Court by the Dallas Independent School District describing its progress toward desegregation be reviewed by an external auditor. This report presents the auditor's findings for 1976-77. The auditor reviewed the accountability report submitted by the…

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas mandated that the report to the Court by the Dallas Independent School District describing its progress toward desegregation be reviewed by an external auditor. This report presents the auditor's findings for 1979-80. The auditor reviewed the report and conducted on-site visits to…

This document consists of nine papers which discuss the planning and design, implementation and maintenance, and evaluation of magnet schools. They are based on practical experience with magnet schools, which first appeared in the early 1970s. By 1982, the movement had grown to include more than 1,200 schools in 140 urban school districts, and the…

This paper provides a case study of eight magnet schools in Austin, Texas, to illustrate the role of evaluation research in assessing the impact of the magnet school experience on students and parents. After an introduction, the paper describes the history of Austin's magnet schools at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. Next,…

This paper, based loosely on findings presented in the other papers collected with it in a single volume, discusses general issues in designing magnet schools, focusing on three main themes: (1) the interdependence of program design and recruitment issues; (2) school level practices which help to turn racial desegregation into racial integration;…

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,…

This summative evaluation assesses the progress made by four elementary magnet schools in Kansas City, Missouri during three years of implementing a visual and performing arts theme. Enrollment, implementation, perceptions, and achievement are the focal areas considered in the evaluation. Enrollment at each elementary arts magnet school was above…