Discusses questions about Massachusetts magnet schools, including (1) reaching parents who do not choose magnets; (2) how the school affects different groups of children; (3) how equity is embodied in life at school; (4) how magnet schools achieve unity; (5) whether parent choice leads to parental empowerment; and (6) why the magnet schools have…

The article incorporates a critical theoretical and methodological framework to study a large urban district's implementation of a court-ordered voluntary integration program through magnet school choice. Drawing on the interview data from parents and district staff, the author analyzes the data as they relate to the district's magnet school…

This report describes the magnet schools in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and analyzes students' access to magnet schools based on their ethnicity and residential location within the city. It also examines change in CPS enrollment patterns that may be related to the development of new magnet schools and magnet school policies. The report begins…

The 1993-94 school year marked the first year of the federally-assisted magnet program implemented by Charlotte-Mecklenberg (North Carolina) Schools (CMS). This paper presents the program's goals, the measurable objectives developed to meet the goals, and first-year outcomes. The goals were to reduce, eliminate, or prevent minority group isolation…

This report recounts the enrollment and participation of minority and nonminority students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Magnet Program. The 1994-95 school year was the second year in which federal support was received. The magnet program is part of a 5-year Student Assignment Plan that seeks to eliminate racial isolation and to…

Discusses the decline in judicial attempts to mandate racial integration in postsecondary education. Analyzes recent Supreme Court affirmative action rulings to determine the limits of voluntary race-conscious initiatives designed to increase minority access and success in higher education. (FMW)

This document is the third in a series of handbooks designed to help educators who are considering controlled choice as a possible desegregation method. The document describes the educational philosophy, curriculum, teaching methods, school organization, and grading methods of traditionally organized schools. Four schools in the northeastern…

This paper describes second-year outcomes of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Magnet Program, which seeks to eliminate racial isolation and ensure that all students receive a quality and relevant education. Specifically, the paper reports on the enrollment and participation of minority and nonminority students in the program. At the time of…

This paper discusses how trends in school racial desegregation suggest a move back toward segregation. Courts are more willing now to attribute these patterns of racial segregation to demographic changes in residential housing markets rather than to past vestiges of the segregated system as they had done in the past. School officials and community…

This paper reviews research on pupil recruitment strategies and admission policies for magnet programs and their impact on equal access. It is also based, in part, on a survey of 56 magnet school administrators whose programs are funded by the Magnet Schools Assistance Program. The paper is divided into six main sections. Section 1 discusses…

The Los Angeles Unified School District's Permit with Transportation (PWT) Program allows volunteering students to be bused to attend schools other than those to which they would normally be assigned on the basis of residential location. Described are aspects of student participants' experiences, and of PWT Program activities at four receiving…

This paper summarizes events leading to the interdistrict settlement of the St. Louis (Missouri) school desegregation case. Remarks are focused on four points: (1) an overview of the settlement process and rationale, (2) an explanation of the principal provisions, (3) a brief analysis of the implementation process, and (4) a discussion of the…

This publication describes schools of choice that are nontraditional in structure, including continuous-progress, open, and Montessori-type schools. It describes the philosophy, curriculum, teaching methods, school organizations, and grading methods of several different kinds of nontraditional schools: two continuous-progress schools, a Montessori…

The Education Mobility Assistance Program (EMAP) was created in Ohio in 1979 to provide funds to school districts that volunteered to racially desegregate their schools by transferring students. This report evaluates the impact of EMAP funds in reducing the number of racially isolated schools and in providing equal educational opportunities for…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined 60 school board members' perceptions of school desegregation and other policies aimed at enhancing the educational attainment of minority groups. Interviews were conducted with school board members in 12 American cities--Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; Green Bay,…