Comparison of the psychological types, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), of 966 students at a public residential magnet high school for academically talented students with other gifted and traditional high school students found both magnet school students and gifted students showed a particular MBTI distribution. (DB)

Career-related perceptions of minority-group high school seniors were studied at two magnet high schools for the health professions in Texas. Results with 202 students show that most of these students retained an interest in the health professions and indicate that such programs can help attract minority students to the health professions. (SLD)

Reviews the research on magnet schools and their impact on reducing racial segregation. Presents findings from a 3-year study of magnet schools in two urban districts. Surveys of diverse parents and teachers indicated that both groups generally believed the goal of integration was worth the cost of busing. Discusses the issue of racial balance in…

Reports on part of a larger study of how 11- and 12-year-old students construct knowledge of electricity and magnetism by drawing on aspects of their experiences during the course of a school visit to an interactive science museum and subsequent classroom activities linked to the science museum exhibits. (Contains 24 references.) (Author/YDS)

Collected Stanford Achievement Test, Eighth Edition scores for 560 elementary school students in a mid-southern urban school district, two-thirds of whom were black, and half of whom were magnet school participants. Findings show statistically significant differences for magnet/nonmagnet and black/white groups. Adjusted posttest scores of black…

Used a national-level data set to investigate four elements of teacher professionalization in both magnet and traditional urban secondary schools and examine the impact of school organization on teacher professionalization. Results indicated that the magnet school context is noteworthy in the areas of autonomy, classroom control, influence on…

Compares self-reported survey data from magnet-school principals to those of neighborhood school principals to ascertain if administrator roles differ in choice environments. Despite market theorists' predictions, findings suggest that magnet schools do little to alter principal roles (as entrepreneurs, middle managers, or instructional leaders).…

Locates school choice's theoretical underpinnings in market theory and communitarianism. Explains contributions of magnet schools, charter schools, and voucher systems to the choice movement. Summarizes preliminary findings for voucher plans, highlighting minority participation, family and teacher satisfaction, student mobility, and college…

Explores differences in race, socioeconomic status, and reasons for choice among parents in an urban school district with a controlled-choice plan. Parental background characteristics, parents' reasons for choosing a school, satisfaction with public schools, and geographical distance differentiate among parents choosing magnets, those choosing…

River Oaks Elementary is a public school in Houston Independent School District's Vanguard Magnet Program. Magnet programs are one of the district's ways of providing parents with choice in public education. The Vanguard program serves students who have been identified as potentially gifted and talented in intellectual ability, creativity, or…

The author recently had the same conversation about local school reform with two superintendents--one from a large, urban district in the East and the other from a small district in the Midwest. Both superintendents were working with their respective boards to approve, design and fund reading initiatives consistent with the new federal guidelines.…

This article explores the history of school desegregation in Kansas City, Missouri. It examines the development of the school district's initial 1955 desegregation plan based on neighborhood schools, and the impact of that plan. Extensive analysis is devoted to the plan's shortcomings, particularly the provisions allowing students to transfer…

Drawing on six years of historical research, this article presents a theoretical representation of the social mechanisms at work in the 30-year history of an ethnically diverse, public, magnet arts high school in an urban U.S. school district. Students' sense of belonging has been a significant factor in creation and maintenance of social capital…

In recent years, parents have benefited from a significant expansion of educational options for their children. Parents have many more opportunities than just a few years ago to choose from an array of public school options, including charter, virtual, and magnet schools. Expanding educational options for parents is one of the hallmarks of the…

The after-school science club at Galtier Math, Science, and Technology Elementary Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota, learned some valuable lessons when they took newfound knowledge about pollution into their homes. After learning about the effects of various contaminants on health and what informed citizens can do about it, students tested…