Every year more school leaders are forced to deal with tragic, violence-prone situations. At a Prince George's County (Maryland) high school, 17-year-old Chuckie Marsh's shooting by masked intruders led to Principal William C. Short's immediate transfer. Assigned to a rough, desegregating magnet school, Short failed to live up to parents'…

Examines adaptations made by one high school when the surrounding city shifted from a textile mill-driven manufacturing economy to a post-industrial service economy. Using data from an extended field study, the paper examines how school discourses emerged from three related sources (a corporate sponsor, competition for good students, and preparing…

The purpose of this study was to compare the academic achievement of 543 urban 4th- (n=291) and 8th- (n=252) grade students who attended Montessori or traditional education programs. The majority of the sample consisted of minority students (approximately 53 percent), and was considered low income (approximately 67 percent). Students who attended…

This book traces the first year of a magnet school called Mega Center for Learning, established in 1990 in a large midwestern urban school district. It focuses on how the primary metaphors embedded in school documents and in stakeholders' perceptions and practices helped or hindered reform. Data were obtained from classroom observation; informal…

The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) (North Carolina) first introduced year-round education in 1989. By 1994, the program had expanded to seven elementary and middle schools. Of the seven current year-round schools, six have solely voluntary magnet enrollment and operate on a multi-track system. The other is a single-track year-round…

This paper describes second-year outcomes of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Magnet Program, which seeks to eliminate racial isolation and ensure that all students receive a quality and relevant education. Specifically, the paper reports on the enrollment and participation of minority and nonminority students in the program. At the time of…

This digest suggests ways that elementary and secondary magnet schools in urban settings are perceived to provide a superior education, offers an evaluation of their effectiveness, and looks at issues for policymakers that arise from the magnet's success. Magnet schools appeal to families and students for the following reasons: (1) program…

This report presents a case study concerning the accomplishments of the Kansas City (Missouri) specialized magnet schools that were created to cure the low academic achievement of minority students and eliminate the racial isolation that existed. The plan sought to dramatically improve the facilities and programming of the city schools, the…

The first year of an individualized bilingual magnet project was evaluated. A total of 254 elementary and secondary students in Philadelphia participated. Multimedia bilingual education was provided to students of non-English speaking backgrounds at two sites. At the elementary site, bilingual education was offered in Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese,…

Magnet schools are designed to increase students' chances of obtaining the type of education they desire, but little is known about the actual relationship between the magnet school experience and its benefit to students once they leave it, and more research is needed. While a considerable amount has been written about the effects that magnet…

This report on transiency and stability in the Los Angeles Unified School District continues a series that has been augmented annually since 1968-69. Transiency refers to the adjusted numbers of entrants and leavers, expressed as a percentage (rate); stability refers to the student population that has remained in the school all year, expressed as…

This report on transiency and stability in the Los Angeles Unified School District continues a series that has been augmented annually since 1968-69. Transiency refers to the adjusted numbers of entrants and leavers, expressed as a percentage (rate); stability refers to the student population that has remained in the school all year, expressed as…

This report on transiency and stability in the Los Angeles Unified School District continues a series that has been augmented annually since 1968-69. Transiency refers to the adjusted numbers of entrants and leavers, expressed as a percentage (rate); stability refers to the student population that has remained in the school all year, expressed as…

This report on transiency and stability in the Los Angeles Unified School district continues a series that has been augmented annually since 1968-69. Transiency refers to the adjusted numbers of entrants and leavers, expressed as a percentage (rate); stability refers to the student population that has remained in the school all year, expressed as…

This paper contributes to the knowledge about the effects that magnet schools have on improving educational quality. The history of magnet schools in American education is examined, linking it with several recent movements to reform and reorganize schooling. A synthesis of research findings from 12 district studies of magnet schools and various…