Discusses the principles of magnetic levitation presented in the physics classroom and applied to transportation systems. Topics discussed include three classroom demonstrations to illustrate magnetic levitation, the concept of eddy currents, lift and drag forces on a moving magnet, magnetic levitation vehicles, levitation with permanent magnets…

Describes a unit on magnetism that utilizes hands-on activities in which students make hypotheses for discrepant behavior, discover whether a magnet attracts one object through another, measure the strength of magnets, explore levitating paper clips, and play a game dependent on magnetic attraction. (MDH)

Describes the construction of a device used to assist a physically disabled student with using the right-hand rule in a physics course. (WRM)

Across the country, tribal people are addressing the failure of mainstream educational methods by creating independent schools run by and for American Indians. Native-American charter schools, tribally controlled reservation schools, and magnet schools serving urban Indian youth use culturally relevant materials and curriculum to engage Indian…

Describes the construction and use of a magnetic needle that is stronger than those conventionally used for experiments with electromagnetism. (WRM)

Describes the School Development Program of the Davis Street Magnet School, New Haven (Connecticut), a Comer school since the late 1980s. The program uses a number of strategies to develop literacy among students identified as problem readers. This Comerian approach enhances student development along six developmental pathways and strengthens…

Presents two quantitative Faraday's law experiments using a computer-assisted data-logging system. (Author/ASK)

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, the achievement growth of students in magnet schools, Catholic schools, and secular private schools was compared to that of students in public comprehensive schools during the first two years of high school. Some advantages of magnet schools and Catholic schools are discussed. (SLD)

Magnet schools have developed strong national and local constituencies among parents and educators, who see them as vehicles for bringing equity and academic excellence to all students. Typically, these schools offer innovative programs through a specialized focus or theme. They may emphasize subjects like science or the arts, or they may adopt…

The purpose of this publication is to provide basic descriptive information about the 100 largest school districts (ranked by student membership, that is, the number of students enrolled at the beginning of the school year) for the 2004-05 school year in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Bureau of Indian Education, the…

As of October 2007, 54 interdistrict magnet schools enrolling 18,928 students were operating in Connecticut. The bulk of these schools are located in the Hartford and New Haven areas--21 in the Hartford area and 17 in the New Haven area. Interdistrict magnets also serve significant numbers of students in the Waterbury region. In keeping with the…

"The Achiever" is a monthly publication for parents and community leaders from the Office of Communications and Outreach, U.S. Department of Education (ED). Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. Highlights of this issue include: (1) Budget Proposal Advances NCLB, Introduces…

Extending the school year and incorporating global education into the curriculum are two educational innovations that have developed in response to demand for improved educational quality. This handbook profiles how educators and parents in Greensboro, North Carolina, planned Brooks Magnet School and implemented its 210-day, year-round calendar,…

This study uses Pierre Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital to understand varying levels of parent participation in schooling. Bourdieu argues that schools draw unevenly on the social and cultural resources of members of the society by invoking particular linguistic styles, authority patterns, and types of curricula. The cultural properties…

Magnet schools have recently been promoted as a school-improvement tool to liberate the poor from inferior schools. This paper presents findings of a study that assessed differences in organizational capacity for education reform between magnet and nonmagnet schools. Do families have a choice of better schools--schools with greater capacity to…