Presents a broad overview of magnet schools in New York State. Describes their effectiveness in various cities, and focuses on Rochester's successful publicity campaign to increase enrollment. Asserts that magnet schools, although more expensive per student than regular schools, enhance student achievement and provide a palatable form of…

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…

This booklet was written to describe and evaluate the role of magnet schools in desegregation plans. The author presents case studies of two moderately successful magnet schools, the Martin Luther King Middle School in Boston and the Clifton Multi-Age Magnet School in Cincinnati. He then discusses magnet schools in the context of desegregation and…

This paper briefly reviews the current racial balance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania public schools and discusses the development of an evaluation system to assess progress toward desegregation. Priority products and services of the Desegregation Evaluation Unit, formed in 1979, are listed. A number of problems that must be addressed in order for…

The voluntary interdistrict transfer plan in St. Louis is one component of an overall desegregation effort. After three years, the plan has successfully provided equal access to quality educational programs. Findings are presented in the following areas: (1) demographic characteristics; (2) effects on students; (3) staff changes; and (4) school…

In order to provide high quality specialized instruction and to achieve voluntary integration, a magnet program was developoed in the Fort Worth (Texas) Independent School District. The program is in its third year of implementation and currently is underway in two high schools, two middle schools, and an elementary school. Program features…

The results of computer simulations of each of 17 variations on 4 prototypical desegregation plans applied to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) are reported in this document. The prototypes, each representing a category of proposals offered at one point or another during the litigation of the desegregation issues are: (1) an…

This document reports the results of computer simulations of each of 19 variations on 4 prototypical desegregation plans applied to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Each prototype represents one of the following categories of proposals offered during the litigation of the desegregation issue in the California courts: (1) an…

Funds provided by the Emergency School Aid Act Title VII Magnet Project in 1978-1979 were largely responsible for attainment by the Milwaukee Public Schools of voluntary desegregation through specialty schools designed to meet a variety of student needs and interests. The positive impact of magnet schools on system goals was confirmed by…

Compares the public-choice model for school desegregation, which involves parents choosing magnet schools, to the command-and-control model, which involves mandatory reassignment plans, in order to evaluate the desegregation effectiveness of each plan. The public-choice model works for school desegregation. Mandatory reassignment produces more…

This report assesses the relative effectiveness of primarily voluntary and primarily mandatory desegregation plans in a sub-sample of 20 school districts, 9 of which are magnet-voluntary plans and 11 of which are magnet-mandatory plans. The major conclusions of this report are the following: (1) voluntary desegregation plans work; (2) dismantling…

The success of the mandated school desegregation efforts of the Jefferson County (Kentucky) public schools demonstrates the potential of a countywide interdistrict plan relying largely on coercive desegregation techniques. The example contradicts the common assumption that mandated plans result in significant white enrollment losses. (SLD)

Descriptive summaries of twenty-two rural and urban school systems throughout the United States are presented in this report. Data for each summary include: (1) an introduction which describes the school's student population, the school's desegregation strategy (court ordered or voluntary), grants received by the school, and problem areas focused…

The School District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was ordered by the Commonwealth Court to begin a voluntary desegregation plan in February, 1979. To support the desegregation process, the school district applied for and received grants from the Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA) to develop programs around eight basic models: pairing, enrichment,…

This report focuses on six issues having a direct impact on school desegregation in Ohio: (1) State authority to eliminate segregation; (2) desegregation programs within school districts; (3) desegregation plans between school districts; (4) citizen participation; (5) transportation; and (6) housing. The Committee's findings in each of these areas…