Sixty-five years after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, the federal and judicial role in school desegregation has declined. In a more difficult political and legal environment, it has fallen on school districts to develop and implement voluntary integration plans through diversity-minded student assignment…

Chicago's magnet schools were one of the nation's earliest experiments in choice-driven school desegregation, originating among civil rights advocates and academic education experts in the 1960s and appearing at specific sites in Chicago's urban landscape during the 1970s. The specific concerns that motivated the creation of magnet schools during…

Research has demonstrated that families are consistently willing to pay more for homes situated in catchments with better quality schools. However, few have considered whether other school characteristics are capable of capitalizing home values in this way. Using data from the city of Chicago, we investigate whether traditional magnet schools may…

The 2016 Education Choice and Competition Index (ECCI) is the fifth release of an annual compilation of data on the condition of K-12 school choice in the geographical areas served by the nation's 100 largest school districts. The ECCI captures information on: (1) the extent of choice; (2) the characteristics of the process by which parents and…

Exploring the critical role of school choice in the future of education reform, the Education Choice and Competition Index (ECCI) is an interactive web application that scores large school districts based on thirteen categories of policy and practice relevant to choice. The intent of the ECCI is to: create public awareness of the differences among…

The Illinois state superintendent of education offers his "dream" about the way Chicago integrated its schools. (IRT)

In many urban areas, educators rely on magnet schools to strike a delicate balance between the need to create opportunities for equity in education and the need for parents to have greater choice among schools. But, are magnet schools successful? This document considers whether they fulfill the promises of high achievement and desegregation in…

In this booklet, options (alternatives) for education in the Chicago Public Schools are discussed. Options described are of four types, all focusing on the learning of basic skills: (1) instruction-based, such as Montessori and open schools; (2) curriculum-based, such as magnet schools, academies, environmental schools and multicultural schools;…

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)

This study found major differences among types of Chicago (Illinois) elementary schools in the amount and time that sixth grade students spent on homework, and that differences were related to the income level and prior student achievement in those schools. Ten magnet schools, 10 integrated schools and 10 primarily minority schools were chosen for…

In this booklet, the use of Academic Interest Centers (AIC) in Chicago public schools is described. An AIC is defined as an educational option program which: (1) concentrates a unique combination of resources for academic improvement in one location; (2) serves children of various racial/ethnic backgrounds in a way that advances their academic…

Describes Chicago magnet school's use of seminar discussion and classroom dialogue to nurture students' active engagement in the learning process. Draws on experience at a public magnet school in Chicago with a student population that is largely poor and minority. (Contains 10 references.) (PKP)

In this report, the plan for fulfilling the commitment of the Chicago Board of Education to increase the quality of educational opportunities for all students in desegregated settings is described. The plan, which is designed to be realized by the 1982-83 school year, is divided into three parts: (1) district programs, educational initiatives to…

Examines the effects of high school choice on high risk students in four large urban school districts. Finds that with the exception of some magnet school programs, admissions procedures and program consequences usually operate to the detriment of students at risk. (FMW)

This report presents a study of issues involving magnet schools in big city school districts. The study consisted of three parts: (1) an analysis of the attitudes of educators familiar with part-time desegregation; (2) an investigation of the role of magnet schools that have been making a positive contribution to the redevelopment of big city…