Research on requests to transfer to magnet schools in Montgomery County, Maryland, suggests that racial factors play a strong role in school choice. The paper argues that unfettered choice still has the potential to exacerbate racial separation, even in relatively liberal and progressive settings like Montgomery County. (SM)

Interviewed eight teachers and principals at three Montessori magnet schools in Kansas City, Missouri, concerning their preparation for mandated state and federal standardized tests. The administrators and teachers generally expressed negative attitudes toward the testing, which ignores the ungraded, holistic, student-centered curriculum of the…

Described are the idea of chaos and the ability to control the chaotic behavior of a real-world physical system. Included is an explanation of the methodology and applications in biology and chemistry. (KR)

Describes the use of computer technology in two very different high schools in New York City: one is a magnet school that attracts the top students from the city; the other is one of the most violent schools and has a high percentage of immigrants and at-risk students. (LRW)

Describes Ohio's Westgate Alternative School of Academic and Physical Excellence which focuses on physical education. Westgate's philosophy is based on educating the total child--physically, intellectually, and emotionally. Physical education, critical-thinking skills, health, self-concept, self-esteem, the writing process, and lifetime learning…

The challenge of engaging students with learning has led educators to rediscover apprenticeship. German apprenticeships enroll 70 percent of noncollege-bound teenagers in various manual, technical, and administrative fields in work/school programs that are not dumping grounds for weak students. The roles of U.S. employers, teachers, cooperative…

Ecological, interdisciplinary, and interconnected laboratory lessons focusing on magneticism: (1) producing electric power; (2) magnetics and magneticism; (3) electomagnetism (2 parts); and turbines (2 parts). Lessons, designed as precursor for students to make choices in electricity production, use a directed inquiry approach. (MCO)

A partnership between Mount Holyoke College and a cash-starved school system led to the opening of Holyoke Magnet Middle School for the Arts. Only 20 percent of the school's budget is funded by the district; more than $500,000 is raised from outside public and private sources. Offers fund-raising tips. (MLF)

According to a recent survey, both school board members and secondary principals support reform proposals involving professional development schools, magnet schools, teacher certification, and teacher empowerment and are opposed to school choice. The groups disagree concerning teacher accountability issues. Implications are discussed. (five…

Paul Ciotti's monograph "Money and School Performance" exposing the "desegregation debacle" in Kansas City (Missouri) Public Schools is an improperly aimed salvo in the "money matters" debate. Actually, money should not be thrown at politically dysfunctional schools with incompetent teachers, administrators, and board…

As the United States grows more ethnically diverse, traditional school-integration tools are becoming less potent. Restoration of Horace Mann's common school represents the single best way to promote equal educational opportunity. Controlled public-school choice (via specialty schools) is the best way to achieve socioeconomic integration.…

Durham (North Carolina) School of the Arts' transformation in 5 years from a run-down, segregated facility to a highly desirable magnet school is proof that a school accessible to the whole community can succeed. Students are chosen by lottery and are showing appreciable academic growth on state tests. (MLH)

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…