Presents results of a survey of Cincinnati, OH, parents' views on alternative school programs (e.g., vocational curricula). Reports that parental approval plays a critical role in choosing particular schools and in a school's ability to retain students. Challenges the degree to which alternative schools act to resegregate school districts by…

The continuing popularity of Buffalo's 12 year old magnet school program proves that the program is successful in the following: 1) providing equity for minority and majority - students; 2) attracting integrated student bodies; 3) offering innovative educational opportunities that meet student needs; and 4) providing parents and teachers a major…

The key to learning is student involvement! This American Association of Physics Teachers/Physics Teaching Resource Agents (AAPT/PTRA) manual presents examples of two techniques that are proven to increase student involvement in your classroom. Based on the "5E" model of learning, exploratories are designed to get your students excited about the…

One of the most controversial issues in contemporary education policy--school choice--plays a prominent part in the newly revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA 2001) legislation. In fact, ESEA 2001 provides support for public school choice through a number of provisions, including the Innovative Programs, Public Charter Schools…

School choice is in high demand and growing. Twenty years ago, few states had policies or programs allowing parents the freedom to make choices in their children's education. Today, 11 states and the District of Columbia have state-funded scholarship programs or provide tax relief for education expenses or contributions to scholarship funds. Most…

Describes the programs and students of a magnet high school and some of the educational and social considerations influencing the school. (IRT)

A project based on the 1988 National Education Longitudinal Study showed that students in magnet schools scored higher on science, reading, and social studies tests than did students in comprehensive public high schools. Differences may be due to improved social relationships and/or allocation of additional resources from sponsoring school…

Highlights promising practices in global education (the tendency of global educators to emphasize interdisciplinary concepts, to model inquisitiveness and skepticism, and to stress participatory learning). The promising practices are examined in the context of classroom life at the Shoreline Foreign Language/International Studies magnet school (a…

The purpose of this study was to determine which magnet concepts were found in various science textbook series, how the concepts were presented, and to identify potential misconceptions related to magnets. Magnet concepts presented as prose, illustration, and/or laboratory activities are identified and analyzed. (KR)

Compares the public-choice model for school desegregation, which involves parents choosing magnet schools, to the command-and-control model, which involves mandatory reassignment plans, in order to evaluate the desegregation effectiveness of each plan. The public-choice model works for school desegregation. Mandatory reassignment produces more…

One middle school principal stemmed the flight of white and middle-class black citizens from a Chattanooga school district and reopened a magnet middle school. Using staff development, she encouraged her teachers to learn how to work effectively to motivate students. (SM)

Describes activities at the Frost Lake (Minnesota) Magnet School of Technology that relate to global concepts including interdependence, economics, and cultural change. Projects in sixth-grade and second-grade classes are explained, and benefits of an integrated approach are discussed, including student motivation and the use of higher order…

Presents instructions and schematic diagrams for an activity that allows students to discover the relationship between electricity and magnetism. Students draw conclusions and form hypotheses regarding their observations. Suggestions for further study are provided for "real world" experiences by students. (ZWH)

Explores the most-effective type of desegregation plan for the reduction of segregation in public schools by using a choice-assignment continuum for 20 plans to account for variation in desegregation orders. Plans the rely on assignment reduce the level of desegregation more than do choice plans. (SLD)