Magnet schools are developed according to a "center of excellence" concept that combines a basic academic program and a specialty enrichment program. Each magnet is unique and it is this uniqueness that is, ideally, able to attract students from across school boundary lines, blending economic classes and races while meeting the varied needs of students who choose to attend. Magnet schools are for the student who has identified and wishes to seriously pursue a particular talent or career interest in a professional setting or in a setting that allows the student's uniqueness to be more fully nurtured. In Dallas, Houston, and other cities, magnet schools are a part of the court-adopted desegregation orders, indicating that both the courts and the cities involved believe that magnet schools can become a means for voluntary desegregation. In spite of their good beginnings and enthusiastic reception by students and parents, magnet schools face two crucial problems--finance and certification. (Author/IRT)