The author describes the application of the vocational method of instruction, a technique focusing on real-world laboratory settings and private sector involvement, to the programs of an academic high school, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia. (CH)

Discusses questions about Massachusetts magnet schools, including (1) reaching parents who do not choose magnets; (2) how the school affects different groups of children; (3) how equity is embodied in life at school; (4) how magnet schools achieve unity; (5) whether parent choice leads to parental empowerment; and (6) why the magnet schools have…

Describes the production of a survey investigating what kinds of magnet schools parents and teachers want. Discusses: (1) the information sought; (2) pre-survey information-gathering and public discussion; (3) the creation of a citywide parent planning council; (4) constructing, conducting, and distributing parent and teacher surveys; and (5)…

There is no one "best" educational system, purports the author. Magnet schools offer choice and a powerful tool for educational change. Research findings about magnet schools are presented. (MD)

This study investigated high school students' perceptions of becoming an educator, discussing how this plays a role in the conditions of education today. Participants were high school seniors attending the South Texas Independent School District Teacher Academy, which offers students the opportunity for numerous hours of field experience in…

New York State annually provides about $135 million of magnet school grants for 19 of its 700 school districts. The state's education department audited the 19 school districts receiving grants to determine whether implementation of grants had been adequately monitored and whether goals had been attained for such funding for the period July 1,…

Although a number of studies have shown that magnet programs have positive effects on educational outcomes for students, most of the outcome measures examined are tests taken before students graduate. This paper attempts to extend those studies by using survey data provided by graduates from a large, urban high school to compare the effects of the…

In the early 1970s, pessimism about public education in the United States was on the rise. To counter this outlook, researchers held a conference to identify public schools that were humane, caring, and effective, and from this conference arose a heightened awareness of alternative schools and their place in education. Subsequent years of…

Magnet schools gained prominence in education in the 1970s as a tool for achieving voluntary desegregation in lieu of forced busing. The theory behind magnet schools as a desegregation tool is simple: Create a school so distinctive and appealing--so magnetic--that it will draw a diverse range of families from throughout the community eager to…

Brief comments on the topic of safety in the classroom and field, a technique for demonstrating the three-dimensional nature of a magnetic field, and a method for stimulating student interest in science films. (JR)

The Zoo School, housed in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, city zoo, provides a challenging one-year program for highly motivated, but not necessarily gifted, sixth graders. Using the zoo as a laboratory, its goal is to teach students about the contemporary world and to develop them as independent learners. (Author/SJL)

Discusses the two-capacitor problem by considering the self-inductance of the circuit used and by determining how well the usual series RC circuit approximates the two-capacitor problem when realistic values of L, C, and R are chosen. (GA)