Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School (MIMS) is the only elementary school in Waterbury that has a world language program and is one of only two elementary Japanese programs in Connecticut. In the past 15 years, more than 1500 students have participated in its Japanese Language and Culture (JLC) Program in grades Prekindergarten through 5th. The JLC…

In June 2007, the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) was awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop the College Ready School Diagnostic, a web-based diagnostic instrument. The purpose of this tool is to provide individual school profiles and customized recommendations, enabling each institution to make…

This paper describes magnet schools as thematic islands of choice within a traditional district-assignment plan. These "islands of choice" are currently the most popular destination with those who exercise some choice in where they send their children to school. During the 1991-92 school year, 3,200 magnet schools were in operation, hosting some…

Discusses the record of magnet schools in increasing and equalizing student opportunity, building educational quality, and improving student learning. (SR)

Phillips Extended Day Magnet in Raleigh, North Carolina was licensed in 1977 as an after-school day-care facility for elementary children in grades K-5. This article looks at the goals, philosophy, design and evaluation of the Phillips Program in order to elucidate its academic effectiveness. (Author/SJL)

The 1984-85 Magnet Program of the Fort Worth (Texas) Independent School District is described and evaluated in this report. General data and information on specific sites are included. The major finding was that the Fort Worth magnet schools were highly successful in providing for high academic performance, and moderately successful as an…

The effectiveness of the magnet school program of the Duval County Public Schools, Florida, was studied. The magnet schools were established at approximately half of the district's 150 schools as part of a desegregation plan. The schools offered a variety of theme programs. In spring 1998, the program was evaluated by four subcommittees of a…

Magnet schools may prematurely limit academic choices and neglect the needs of poor children. (JM)

This paper is a summary report of the "Study of the Emergency School Aid Act Magnet School Program" which was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of magnet school programs as a strategy in school desegregation. The representative sample of eighteen schools used in the study and their community contexts are described, and the…

As educators try to make schools more responsive to the diverse needs of students, public alternative schools are becoming increasingly investigated as viable and necessary options. This book provides an overview of public alternative education in the United Sates. Following the foreword by Robert D. Barr, acknowledgements, and the introduction,…

Against the backdrop of school choice as a pivotal element in educational reform, Hawaii has developd its own variant of the magnet school concept--the Learning Center Program, initiated in January 1987. Following a brief period of implementation at 14 high school sites, the program was evaluated and expanded to include 20 centers during the…

A statewide study was conducted to identify and describe successful voluntary school desegregation programs funded under Chapter 636, a 1974 amendment to Massachussets' Racial Imbalance Law. Programs selected were of four types: (1) school-based (elementary, middle, and high); (2) school system- or district-wide; (3) part-time and full-time…

Teachers in a Spanish/English dual language elementary school in Tucson (Arizona) promote Spanish literacy using a school-designed program. The schoolwide, nonscripted program has been successful in supporting the transfer of reading skills from Spanish to English and in including special education students in dual language schooling. (Contains 33…

Twenty-one magnet programs in the Houston Independent School District in Texas feature an enriched curriculum in science, math, and/or computers (science/math). Of these, 12 are elementary programs, 4 are middle school programs, and 5 are high school programs. In these programs, a total of 9,574 students were served during the 1990-91 school year:…

This issue highlights five distinct studies. The first study looks at achievement and its association to Montessori programs, magnet programs, and traditional schooling programs. The second provides evidence on the efficacy of the Even Start program in comparison to Title I programs. The third examines the effects of full-day and half-day…