In this study, we examine teacher perspectives of magnet school implementation in two recently converted elementary schools that had received federal grants to reduce minority group isolation. We draw on 2 years of data on teacher perspectives related to satisfaction, preparedness, and implementation of the magnet program. Surprisingly, we found…

School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a broad set of evidence-based strategies designed to create school environments that promote and support appropriate behavior of all students. The "PBIS Cultural Responsiveness Field Guide" provides a foundation for designing a SWPBIS program that meets the needs of…

Magnet schools are one of the largest sectors of choice schools in the United States. In this study, we explored the heterogeneity in magnet-school effects on student achievement by examining 24 magnet schools, funded under the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP), in 5 school districts across 4 states. The magnet effects were synthesized…

Courtney and Dennis, two African American male students at McDowell High, were arrested at school for throwing water balloons during senior prank week. The principal assigned two police officers to the magnet school to oversee the implementation of a new discipline protocol. However, several members of the school staff were ill-informed about the…

As one Houston middle school demonstrates, a magnet program for gifted students can be successfully integrated with a regular program via music and art electives and whole-school activities. Gifted students are accelerated in many but not all courses; regular students can choose to be accelerated in specific content areas. (11 references) (MLH)

A successful summer immersion experience for high school German students is described, with focus on the development, philosophy, and structure of the language academy. Theoretical and practical information is given on student/staff selection, participant grouping, curriculum development, activity planning, facility preparation, and enforcement of…

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)

Analyzes the controversy surrounding the 1985 Minnesota Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act (PEO). Although equity and feasibility concerns arose, a closer examination of the PEO debate's language and tactics reveals a more fundamental struggle over authority and a defense of professional control that is incompatible with school choice goals. (51…

This case study reflects block scheduling's effects on advanced-placement mathematics courses of one veteran teacher tracking personal progress since 1989. Block scheduling began in 1994, creating problems for the teacher, whose resistance to the reform was based on declining advanced-placement scores. Teacher attitude and insufficient…

Most major urban boards across Canada have expressed interest in schools for the arts. The principal concern expressed by educators, and especially music educators, is the potentialy negative effect brought about by the loss of students and their leadership on the programs in the general school. (BRR)

In this interview, a female Hispanic principal discusses the challenges, resources, and support involved in implementing a two-way bilingual immersion model in a Hispanic community in Albuquerque (New Mexico). Program success resulted primarily from supportive parents, faculty, and superintendent and the principal's leadership style, which is…

This article documents implementation and critically reflects upon the results of a partnership between a predominately white rural college and a multicultural urban school district. The partnership was intended both to recruit high school students of color from an urban school to teacher education and to encourage teacher candidates from a rural…