It has been 50 years since magnet schools were first used to address segregation in public schools. The context of magnet schools has changed dramatically during this time, raising questions about the role of magnet schools in a modern context. This study utilized data from a large urban district with more than 100 magnet schools to assess…

America's urban communities have continued to face many challenges, especially the challenge of education, for several decades. Although factors such as racial injustice and community-driven problems have been used to explain the educational disparities in predominantly Black urban communities, many Black students, particularly males, have been…

We examine the views of low-income urban parents toward their neighborhood school. Policymakers must understand the attitudes of these individuals, particularly because they represent some of the most vulnerable groups in our education system. As national education policies have made it easier for parents to choose schools, attention has…

Policy efforts to enhance postsecondary access and completion often emphasize the construct of college readiness (CR). While most research has focused on defining and measuring CR, less has examined the perspectives of first generation students and the urban high school contexts in which many prepare for college. This study utilizes data from an…

This article investigates interactional processes by which students from non-dominant groups develop academic identities within schools that privilege the dominant group. It draws on an ethnographic study of an urban magnet school, focusing on a discourse analysis of conversations between 3 eighth-grade girls. Findings include that students…

Magnet schools were originally created to attract a diverse student population. Using data from the 23 magnet schools in St. Louis, this longitudinal study is twofold: first, to review the performance outcomes of the magnet schools across a 5-year period, between 2005-2006 and 2009-2010, and second, to examine whether the magnet schools are…

This study examined how gender; race/ethnicity; language; socioeconomic status; California Standards Test (CST) scores in mathematics, science, and ELA; and California High School Exit Exam mathematics predict college-ready results on the Early Assessment Program (EAP) in mathematics in urban areas of southern California. Approximately 1,700 high…

The predictive value of selection criteria on outcome data from two cohorts of students (Total N = 525) accepted to an urban magnet high school were evaluated. Regression analyses of typical screening variables (suspensions, absences, metropolitan achievement tests, middle school grade point averages [GPAs], Matrix Analogies test scores, and…

For over a century after the 1896 "Plessy v. Ferguson" decision, researchers have been grappling with how to effectively implement educational reform policies to provide students with an equal education in American schools. This literature review examines previous school desegregation cases and school desegregation plans to investigate…

Racially mixed schools are important because they affect the distribution of academic achievement, racial attitudes, subsequent social and economic outcomes of students, and patterns of residential integration. The purpose of this article is to capture and describe the role that adolescent friendships play in the educational and social experiences…

As we revisit the victory of Brown, we know that the work of countless unsung warriors has taken us to a new level in the battle to acquire educational equality for African American children. In an effort to honor those people whose work have brought us this far, we visited with one expert witness and intellectual architect on desegregation to…

Discusses varied roles a qualitative researcher or ethnographer plays in the educational research process. Focuses on ways in which these different roles affect others' behavior in the presence of the ethnographers; how ethnographers interact; and how ethnographers interpret, analyze, and present data. (Author/MJL)

Parental choice of schools results in racial isolation or effective integration, depending on how choice is used and regulated. The role of choice in desegregation plans is compared. The Buffalo plan is hailed as most successful in that it desegregated the schools, distributed costs and benefits fairly, and strengthened education. (VM)

Analyzes the role of magnet schools in stimulating and changing linkages between the community and public education. Analyzes the effectiveness of marketing methods such as the following: (1) public relations, (2) student recruiting, and (3) information dissemination. Considers their impact on the community-school relationship. (LHW)

Compares the effectiveness of magnet schools in increasing interracial contact in two contexts: (1) districts using magnet schools as the alternative to forced busing; and (2) districts using magnet schools as a component of a mandatory desegregation plan. (Author/BE)