Presents historical record of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the issue of magnet schools as a method of achieving desegregation. Examines viewpoints of magnet school proponents and opponents on the issues of desegregation and the role of magnet schools, their high dropout rates, and the student selection processes. (SA)

This paper reviews the history of family choice opportunities in public schools. It offers detailed examinations of the several choice models that have proved widespread: (1) open enrollment plans; (2) magnet schools; (3) schools within schools; (4) satellites and separate alternatives; and (5) interdistrict choice plans. (Author/LMO)

This book presents science activities designed for young children. The activities are divided into the following the content areas of chemistry, physics, earth explorations, weather watchers, flight and space, plants, animal adventures, and mathworks. Each activity features sections of language with science, required items, procedures, and…

To comply with the district desegregation plan, the San Francisco Unified School District previously required higher scores for Chinese American students applying to the academic magnet, Lowell High School, than for more under-represented groups. Several Chinese parents sued the district, challenging the legality of the desegregation plan, which…

This study analyzed data from year 1 of Project Choice, Connecticut's response to Sheff v. O'Neill, a 1989 school desegregation lawsuit. Project Choice is an interdistrict transfer program modeled on a program that began in Hartford in 1966. It allows suburban children to attend urban schools. For each child participating, the district where the…

Thirteen demonstrations using a capacitor-start induction motor fitted with an aluminum disk are described. Demonstrations illustrate principles from mechanics, fluids (Bernoulli's principle), waves (chladni patterns and doppler effect), magnetism, electricity, and light (mechanical color mixing). In addition, the instrument can measure friction…

Addresses two sets of questions with regard to school choice. The first set focuses on the meaning of school choice, the proposed benefits of choice plans, whether such plans have been tried, and what the research concludes about school-choice arrangements. The second set presents the rationale for open enrollment and controlled choice and offers…

Founded in 1975 as a magnet school, Isaac Dickson school adopted the Foxfire approach in 1992. Instead of a one-size-fits-all process, students participate in planning their own learning, and teachers serve as facilitators, ensuring that each learner has developmentally appropriate subject matter and resources. Test scores verify that this…

Describes how a principal at a diverse elementary magnet school conducts staff development. She believes her role as staff developer is to focus development efforts. She encourages creating mandatory study groups, keeping teachers with the same students for two years, finding workday hours for training, and trying new, research-based innovations.…

Chicago's High School for Agricultural Sciences is a popular and successful urban school devoted to agriculture. This agriculturally focused high school features a tough academic curriculum and hands-on learning designed to prepare the predominantly Black and Hispanic student body for college and careers in agriculture. (SM)

Fifteen gifted students (grades 1-6) in a magnet school participated in phenomenological interviews. The students described the social milieu of the school as the backdrop for the meaning of the experience of attending the school. Four themes emerged across magnet school experiences, others, role, personal development, and time. (Contains…

Discusses three educational issues: (1) the quality and equality of educational access; (2) the narrowing of the pipeline to higher education; and (3) the diversity of the teaching force. (MW)

Reviewed are two 35MM slide sets "Halley's Comet Revealed" and "Supernova 1987A"; and a videotape entitled "Experiments; Physics Level 1. Magnetic Fields." Features, availability, strengths and weaknesses are discussed. (CW)

The purpose of this article is to provide a rationale for a professional development model and to highlight two features of the model which have been designed to address school improvement needs while concurrently providing professional development opportunities for novice and experienced science educators. The two features include summer magnet…

The relationship between parent involvement and school choice was studied with 575 parents in urban Catholic, single-focus, and multiple-focus magnet schools. Religion, income, and ethnicity were important in understanding parents' reasons for school choice, and school type was a major factor in parent choice. (SLD)