This article reviews the literature evaluating the impact of school choice programs on racial integration. Evidence on the impacts of magnet schools, voluntary busing programs, open enrollment practices, charter schools, and voucher programs is reviewed. The literature is mixed on this question, finding that the impacts of choice on racial…

As of summer 2012, there are 31 interdistrict magnet schools in the Greater Hartford region of Connecticut, including those at The Learning Corridor (a 14-acre compound with roughly 1,570 students in attendance among an elementary, middle, and two high schools), enrolling about 13,000 students and supported by a mix of state, local, and…

This document is a compilation of the presentations made at the Conference on Magnet Schools for Desegregation held in the Fall of 1977. It provides an overview of many types of magnet school programs and their degree of success. Presentations include a paper on the Federal government and magnet schools; some promises and cautions regarding magnet…

Based on a sample of school districts, this study determined that magnet schools generally cost more than nonmagnets; however, most extra costs were fixed. As enrollments increased, per pupil costs actually decreased to a point near or below nonmagnet costs. Magnet schools with higher costs tended to have higher integration and educational…

Magnet schools are developed according to a "center of excellence" concept that combines a basic academic program and a specialty enrichment program. Each magnet is unique and it is this uniqueness that is, ideally, able to attract students from across school boundary lines, blending economic classes and races while meeting the varied…

Historical and practical realities of the desegregation process are outlined from a legal perspective. The court remedies have not enjoyed widespread success. Magnet schools have merit, but the number of Whites attending magnet schools is usually not sufficient for true desegregation. Upgrading all Black schools may provide a solution. (VM)

Describes the characteristics of three magnet elementary schools which have successfully attracted nonminority students to locations in minority neighborhoods. (Author/MK)

Central City High School, Kansas City, Missouri, has found its identity in the past. As part of comprehensive desegregation program, this magnet school offers its students classical Greek program that, like ancient Greek civilization, calls for as much attention to body as to mind. The costly Olympic athletic program and classical Greek curriculum…

This study reports the findings of a questionnaire survey developed to gather information on the general characteristics of magnet programs and to determine the use of magnet schools in overall district integration plans. Thirty-eight of 98 districts responding to the survey reported utilizing magnet schools for integration purposes. Forty-one…

To date, the magnet schools in St. Louis have satisfied the federal judge who has been supervising school desegregation. However, federal appeals court judges have indicated that they believe the plan falls short of meaningful integration. (Author/AM)

Reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the Boston magnet school program. The author concludes that integration in the 1980s will need to be metropolitan and voluntary. (Author/IRT)

The public schools in Flint (Michigan) offer a good example of how magnet schools can help desegregate a school system effectively and voluntarily. (Author)

A study of magnet schools revealed that they have become a significant part of the nation's efforts to desegregate schools. Most magnet schools are in urban areas and offer a distinctive curriculum. School districts began employing magnet schools in the 1970s to help desegregate schools. The federal government has assisted magnet schools with…

Magnet schools differ from other forms of alternative schools in being specifically intended to assist school systems in their desegregation efforts. Magnet schools have been defined by the federal courts as those having a "distinctive program of study" designed to attract a cross section of students from all racial groups voluntarily. Several…

A court of appeals rejects Dallas' desegregation plan. Some educators jeer the result, but others cheer the decision. (Editor)