The project is designed to support the school district's voluntary desegregation plan by providing a highly individualized program to attract pupils from outside the school boundaries. A Bilingual-Bicultural Learning Center and supportive instruction personnel were installed in the school to help with the variety of needs of the individual…

This paper discusses magnet schools generally and evaluates the other papers included with it in a single volume. Magnet schools have been fairly successful in meeting their stated goals, and in some cities, such as New York, they are so popular that parents must compete to gain their children's entrance. Still, magnets have tended to rely more on…

This paper outlines an alternative desegregation plan that would replace the one implemented in the East Baton Rouge Parish (Louisiana) School District in 1981. Known as the Incentives Desegregation Plan, the alternative plan was designed to produce interracial contact comparable to the earlier plan, without incurring the attendant costs of…

This paper examines the range of resources required to plan, develop and implement magnet schools. Information is based on a comparative study of the relative costs of magnet and regular schools in a large, urban school district over a six-year period. Using traditional measures of per student costs, the study found that real spending per pupil…

This paper, based on a recent comparative study of magnet schools conducted by the Department of Education, describes the features of successfully designed magnet schools. First, the paper highlights some of the major findings from the study on which it is based. Although there is a wide degree of variation in the design, development, and…

This document consists of nine papers which discuss the planning and design, implementation and maintenance, and evaluation of magnet schools. They are based on practical experience with magnet schools, which first appeared in the early 1970s. By 1982, the movement had grown to include more than 1,200 schools in 140 urban school districts, and the…

This paper provides a case study of eight magnet schools in Austin, Texas, to illustrate the role of evaluation research in assessing the impact of the magnet school experience on students and parents. After an introduction, the paper describes the history of Austin's magnet schools at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. Next,…

This paper, based loosely on findings presented in the other papers collected with it in a single volume, discusses general issues in designing magnet schools, focusing on three main themes: (1) the interdependence of program design and recruitment issues; (2) school level practices which help to turn racial desegregation into racial integration;…

Magnet schools are designed to increase students' chances of obtaining the type of education they desire, but little is known about the actual relationship between the magnet school experience and its benefit to students once they leave it, and more research is needed. While a considerable amount has been written about the effects that magnet…

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…

This paper identifies and discusses components of successful magnet programs. It is based on a review of existing research literature and information gathered directly from school districts. First, the paper discusses separately the following elements, which are considered "core components": (1) leadership; (2) organizational structure; (3)…

This paper discusses the instructional development factors that are important in planning magnet schools. Intended to serve as a basic source document for school districts that are considering the development of magnet schools, the paper includes information and examples based on the author's experiences as a curriculum planner in Buffalo (New…

The Monitoring Commission for Desegregation Implementation in the Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools formally responded to the 1990-91 Chicago Board of Education's Desegregation Review on Student Assignment. That Board report presented data on the contribution of various student assignment procedures to the voluntary desegregation of the schools.…