Almost 14,000 students in the Cincinnati Public Schools attended alternative programs during the 1983-84 year. These voluntary programs were designed to create racially balanced schools and to provide specialized learning experiences along with traditional academic curriculum. Acceptance to the programs is based primarily on racial balance, but…

The Dallas Independent School District (DISD) established an alternative education system to comply with a 1976 desegregation court order. This system was composed of vanguards (grades 4-6), academies (grades 7-8), and magnet high schools (grades 9-12). These schools were expected to attract a student population which would reflect the ethnic mix…

Regardless of the lack of racial justice in housing and employment, American democracy cannot tolerate discrimination in its public schools if it is to honor its traditions as a country. State bodies must make clear their position on school desegregation and establish that desegregation is wrong legally and educationally. Sanction must be imposed…

An alternative schools "explosion" is currently producing a large number of diverse educational choices for parents and students. Alternative schools, or those schools that offer all students a distinctive choice of educational programs, can be classified by philosophy, curriculum, or governance. This report defines, explains, and…

Several new factors in the governance and finance of education as a consequence of desegregation litigation have increased confusion over accountability. However, options are available for school districts and state government to exercise leadership, reduce the need for active court and federal involvement, and exercise control over their own…

This laboratory exercise for junior or senior high school students forms a basis for expansion of concepts, offers opportunities for analytical thinking, and presents possibilities for independent thinking. (BB)

Describes the Dallas district's involvement in desegregation, magnet schools, and the involvement of parents and business in the schools. These efforts should be seen as part of a larger effort at reform and renewal throughout the district. (Author/IRT)

Discusses background, rationale, and current trends in school choice. Where implemented carefully with parent participation, choice plans have increased public support and student achievement and provided curriculum differentiation, cohesiveness, autonomy, and small size as benefits. However, school choice raises some equity problems, including…

Houston (TX) schools have developed an innovative attitude toward the teacher shortage; a magnet high school program encourages and prepares students for careers in education. (MD)

Suggests an approach which treats the electric circuit as a channel through which energy flows and to which the application of energy conservation makes the distinction between electromotive force and potential difference unnecessary. Equations, examples, and visual representations are included. (RT)

The state of Missouri opposed the desegregation plan in St. Louis but the court approved it. Three components of the plan are the following: (1) voluntary interdistrict transfers; (2) magnet schools; and (3) improvement of the quality of education and major capital improvements. Implementation and achievements are described. (VM)

Describes a hands-on lesson in magnetism designed to be used with upper elementary grade students. Emphasizes structured experiences which involve the student in measuring, data collecting, graphing, and extrapolating information. (TW)

Forced busing failed because it ultimately produced resegregation and drew attention away from questions of educational quality. The Reagan Administration and the federal courts have favored more flexible desegregation efforts--voluntary transfer programs, open enrollment, and magnet schools--that hold greater promise of producing equality of…

Argues that metropolitan school desegregation plans may reinforce problems associated with segregation and may worsen the situation of low-income Blacks. Describes an urban-suburban exchange plan and argues that it provides only the semblance of justice. Asserts that what poor Black students need most is neighborhood schools, effective teachers,…

Presents and discusses enrollment statistics for nine Massachusetts school systems undergoing desegregation. Focuses on Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Lowell, and Cambridge. Describes each system as successfully promoting desegregation through magnet schools and parental choice. (KH)