This article proposes a new method for measuring school desegregation in multiracial districts, and uses the new method to measure the desegregation effects of magnet schools in Los Angeles. Rather than measuring desegregation between only two groups at a time, I compute the index of interracial exposure for Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and Asians.…

The research is to understand the historical sociopolitical context of the emergence of school choice, more specifically magnet schools, and the consequences of this choice on student enrollment patterns. The approach is a critical examination of Neoliberalism as an ideology and polarizing sociopolitical movement and the intersection of this…

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)

The objective of the magnet schools concept is to create quality educational programs with distinctive features which can attract or retain pupils of various ethnic types, and thereby contribute to racial balance in the schools. Magnet schools are intended to promote desegregation by permitting parents to make voluntary choices among schools,…

Examines whether controlled choice is a superior desegregation tool for urban schools. A study of 20 school districts with minority populations above 30% revealed controlled choice to be as unpopular as mandatory reassignments, to produce greater white flight than magnet-voluntary plans, and to offer less interracial exposure than do voluntary…

This book presents the findings of a study of school desegregation strategies conducted in order to examine which of the various approaches to school desegregation most effectively reduce the level of segregation in public schools. The first two chapters look at school desegregation since the 1950s and mandatory versus voluntary desegregation…

This report examines the achievement and enrollment of students at the Central Computers Unlimited Magnet High School in Kansas City, Missouri, through its third year of operation. The school offers special emphasis in computer science and technology including programming, maintenance, and operations. The evaluation design focuses on the…

Ethnographic techniques are employed in this study in order to determine the extent to which curricula developed in magnet schools is distinctly different from curricula in conventional or nonmagnet schools. The variables examined and compared include: (1) subject matter offered; (2) instructional methods; (3) grouping procedures; (4) student and…

Two elementary schools in the Kansas City, Missouri, School District have been in operation for 5 years as Applied Learning Magnet Schools (ALMS). The ALMS are math and science magnet schools that emphasize skills in math, science, reading, language arts, and social studies. This report examines ALMS student achievement and enrollment during 5…

Are magnet schools in a position to meet diversity ideals? As districts are declared unitary and released from court ordered desegregation, many are framing their commitments to fairness and equity in terms of diversity--i.e., comparable rates of participation and comparable educational outcomes in all segments the student population. In this…

Three schools in the Kansas City, Missouri, School District have operated for 5 years as Investigative Learning Magnet Schools (ILMS). The ILMS emphasize such student outcomes as inquiry, problem solving, critical thinking, and observation skills, and have a curricular focus on science, math, and computer skills. This report examines the ILMS'…

The results of the achievement and enrollment study are reported for six elementary foreign language magnet programs that were implemented as part of the desegregation plan in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition to the foundation curriculum, two goals are emphasized: teaching foreign language and exposing students to foreign cultures. Three strands…

This book addresses issues in the field of school desegregation and public policy and compares the desegregation effectiveness of voluntary plans with magnet schools to mandatory reassignment plans with magnet schools. Issues addressed include: (1) how school desegregation plans have evolved over time; (2) how one measures the desegregation…

Three magnet middle schools which were established as part of a voluntary desegregation plan in a school system in a large, American city are described in this report. The schools are examined as organizations that differed in their innovative educational approaches to bring about desegregation. One school offered a system of open education, in…