This manual was written to help guide education stakeholders--including parents, students, school board members, community activists, administrators, policymakers and attorneys--in their efforts to promote racial diversity and avoid racial isolation in suburban school systems. Critical information on the current legal, political and policy issues…

Parent and community participation in an exciting magnet program has allowed Tucson (Arizona) to desegregate its school system without an undue amount of disruption. (Author)

The Milwaukee School System responded to a court finding of segregation by structuring a program of community involvement to help in the task of planning and implementing school desegregation. The city-wide planning group came to be called the Committee of 100. The central thesis of this paper is that the quality of community involvement is not…

SOUTHERN COMMUNITIES ARE IN A PERIOD OF TRANSITION TOWARD AN INTEGRATED SOCIETY. IT IS THE CHOICE OF EVERY COMMUNITY WHETHER OR NOT THIS TRANSITION WILL EVOLVE PEACEFULLY OR WHETHER IT WILL BE RESISTED WITH VIOLENT AND TRAGIC RESULTS. IF THE DECISION FOR A PEACEFUL TRANSITION IS MADE, EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL TECHNIQUES, EXPERIENCES, AND EFFORTS IN…

Created in response to desegregation problems, the Grimes Center for Creative Education is a magnet school which emphasizes parent participation, an interdisciplinary arts curriculum, and a learning-by-doing approach. The success of Grimes illustrates how community concern over desegregation can be transformed into community support for quality…

This voluntary school integration project uses the open enrollment plan of the Boston School Department in transporting Negro children from predominantly Negro schools in the black district to more racially balanced schools in other parts of Boston. It has involved private financing, intra-city bussing, and the initiative and participation of…

This report describes the activities undertaken by the City of Philadelphia School District during its voluntary desegregation preimplementation orientation and training year (1977-1978). School District activities are described in five areas: staff development, community involvement, dissemination, funding, and the movement of pupils. Appended to…

Within the context of current discussions on improving urban public education, this report provides an analysis of the magnet school as a model for educational quality and excellence and gives an objective assessment of its potential as a method of improving urban education. A comparative case study methodology combined the collection of…

This report discusses findings from a comprehensive national survey of the effectiveness of magnet schools in improving the quality of public education and in assisting school desegregation. Chapter I provides background information on the concept and evolution of magnet schools; discusses the purposes of the national survey and several issues…

This handbook was prepared to provide guidance and suggestions primarily for school officials who are developing a plan for school desegregation or who are trying to revise an existing plan. Indications of what has and has not worked in other districts are based on experts' recommendations, on case studies from other communities, and on the…

This report summarizes programs under the Plan for Racial Integration which was developed by the San Diego, California, Unified School District to alleviate the racial isolation of minority students in the district's public schools. Described are elementary and secondary school integration programs, including magnet programs, learning centers, and…

This volume presents a review of the qualitative literature pertaining to desegregation strategies and outcomes, and school characteristics. The review was based on the following objectives of desegregation policy: elimination of racial isolation; improvement of racial relations and academic achievement; promotion of positive community attitudes;…

Magnet school programs require careful planning. Originally designed to achieve voluntary desegregation, magnet programs attract students of all races and backgrounds by offering special curricular themes and instructional approaches not offered in neighborhood schools. Outcomes of a successful program include the following: (1) desegregation; (2)…

The Metropolitan Planning Project of Greater Boston (Massachusetts) was established in 1974 to promote voluntary collaboration between urban and suburban elementary and secondary school systems for the elimination of racial and ethnic student isolation. This report examines programs that have emerged under the plan, describes the demographic and…

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…