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What Should You Look For In a Magnet School?

As I attended the magnet fair recently put on by my school district I was surprised by the difference in the quality of education that each of the schools seemed to offer. Some of the programs seemed put together just so that the school could say that it was a magnet school, and attract unwitting parents to the school. The school district I am in uses magnet schools to attract students to inner city schools to help boost test scores and parental involvement. I taught school for a short time, and so I was surprised when one school’s main attraction … Continue reading →

The ‘Public Elites’

We have been talking about what makes for a great high school. I was surprised when I first started writing my compiled list of America’s Best 100 high schools that is was missing some notable names. Where was Bronx Science, and Stuyvesant? My answer came soon enough as I continued my research. These “public elites” are deliberately left off of the list because so many of their students score significantly higher than average on SAT and ACT tests. While I don’t want to take the space necessary to high light what makes all of these schools so special, I thought … Continue reading →

Magnet Schools: Pros and Cons

My daughter will begin kindergarten next year. In my school district I have the option of enrolling her in a magnet program. The magnet schools in this area are designed to attract students to lower income areas, a way of natural desegregation. In order for this to be successful, the magnet schools have additional programs and resources available to them. It has worked well for my school district. One of the positive aspects of the magnet schools is that they offer specific programs that are tailored towards the arts or the sciences. They offer programs specifically for gifted students or … Continue reading →

Why I Support School Choice Part 1

If you are at all familiar with educational issues you know that this is a hot button. School choice is the idea that a parent has the right to choose their child’s school. Okay. . .no big deal. Until you start to take available resources and spread them around, theoretically diverting them from public schools. School choice does not just translate into a parent’s right to homeschool, or opt into a private school, but also includes charter schools, magnet schools, as well as school vouchers. After all, why should school choice be limited to those who can afford to pay … Continue reading →