A magnet school is a public school which offers specialized courses or curricula. The term public school has two distinct (and virtually opposite meanings depending on the location of usage in the United States, Australia and In US Education, a course is a unit of teaching that typically lasts one Academic term, is led by one or more instructors ( Teachers or Professors In formal education a curriculum (plural curricula) is the set of courses and their content offered at a School or University. The term magnet school is mostly associated with the United States, although other countries have similar types of schools (such as UK specialist schools). Education in the United States is provided mainly by government with control and funding coming from three levels federal, state, and local. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The specialist schools programme is a UK government initiative which encourages Secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum The use of the word magnet refers to magnet schools drawing students from across normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school zones that feed into certain schools. A magnet (from Greek grc μαγνήτης λίθος " Magnesian stone" is a material or object that produces a Magnetic field. A board of education or a school Board or school committee is the title of the Board of directors of a school local School district Feeder school is a name applied to schools colleges universities or other Educational institutions that provide a significant number of graduates who intend to continue The school which a student would attend if he were not attending the magnet school is often referred to as the home school (not to be confused with homeschooling, an entirely different concept) or the base school. Homeschooling (also called home education) home learning or homeschool  – is the education of children at home typically by parents or professional

In the United States, where education is decentralized, some magnet schools are established by school districts and draw only from the district, while others (such as Governor's Schools in Virginia) are set up by state governments and may draw from multiple districts. __FORCETOC__ Decentralization or Decentralisation (see Spelling differences) is the process of dispersing Decision-making governance closer to the people School districts are a form of Special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools The Governor's Schools are a collection of regional magnet high schools and summer programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia intended for gifted students The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state A state government ( provincial government in Canada is the Government of a Subnational entity in States with federal

Contents 1 History 2 Enrollment and curricula 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

History

Magnet schools started popping up in the United States in the 1960s as a way of dealing with racial segregation in schools. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Parents of students started moving into suburban areas to ensure a certain crowd of students at their child's schools, or pulled their children out of school altogether. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. As a way to reduce this attempted racial isolation, Voluntary School Desegregation plans were written to try to curb this phenomenon. The concept of magnet schools was first expounded in 1971 by Dallas, Texas, educator Nolan Estes, then the superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. The Dallas Independent School District ( Dallas ISD or DISD) is a School district based in Dallas, Texas ( USA) ^[1]

The Magnet Schools Assistance Program was developed in the early 1980s as a way to further encourage schools to deal with this problem. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Funds were given to school districts that implemented either voluntary desegregation plans or court orders to reduce racial isolation. ^[2] At first, districts tried implementing involuntary plans which involved court-ordered attendance and the busing of children far from their homes and closer schools to achieve the required balance. Desegregation busing in the United States (also known as forced busing or busing) is the practice of attempting to integrate schools by assigning students to Later, districts started embracing the magnet school models in the hope that their geographically open admissions would end racial segregation in "good" schools, and decrease de facto segregation of schools in poorer areas by offering a more enticing educational program.

To encourage the voluntary desegregation, districts started putting together magnet schools to draw students to specialized schools all across their districts. Each magnet school would have specific specialties that would draw students to this school, or that school. The competitive entrance processes have since been implemented to encourage good grades and good behavior to get into the school that each student wishes to get into.

Within a few years, in locations such as Richmond, Virginia, additional magnet school programs for children of many different special talents were developed at facilities in locations which parents would have otherwise found undesirable. This article is about the city of Richmond the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This effort to both attract voluntary enrollment and achieve the desired racial balance met with considerable success, and helped improve acceptance of the longer rides, hardships with transportation for extracurricular activities, and the separation of siblings which may result when schools other than strictly neighborhood school plans are utilized. Even as districts such as Richmond were released from desegregation court orders, the parental selection of magnet school programs has continued to contribute to more racially balanced schools than would have otherwise occurred. With a wide range of magnet school types, a suitable program could be found for many more children than only for the exceptionally bright ones at whom the earliest efforts were directed.

There are magnet schools at the elementary school, middle school, and high school levels. See also Primary education An elementary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of Compulsory education known as elementary Middle school or Junior High School serves as a "bridge" between the Elementary School and the High School High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution Some magnet programs are within comprehensive schools, as is the case with several "schools within a school. " In large urban areas several magnet schools with different specializations may be combined into a single "center," such as Skyline High School in Dallas, Texas and Advanced Technologies Academy in Las Vegas, NV. Skyline High SchoolPrincipalHarold Advanced Technologies Academy (A-TECH ATA A-Tech is a magnet Public high school in Las Vegas Nevada with a focus on integrating technology with academics

Enrollment and curricula

Some magnet schools have a competitive entrance process, requiring an entrance examination, interview, or audition. An entrance examination is an Examination that many educational institutions use to select students for admission An interview is a conversation between two or more people (the interviewer and the interviewee where Questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from An audition is a sample performance by an Actor, Singer, Musician, Dancer or other performer Other magnet schools select all students who apply or use a lottery system, or a system combining some elements of competitive entrance and a lottery. A lottery is a form of Gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize

Most magnet schools concentrate on a particular discipline or area of study, while others (such as International Baccalaureate schools) have a more general focus. The International Baccalaureate (IB Diploma Programme (DP is an Educational programme examined in one of three languages ( English, French or Spanish Magnet programs may focus on academics (mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering; humanities; social sciences; fine or performing arts) or may focus on technical/vocational/agricultural education. Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and In Science, the term natural science refers to a naturalistic approach to the study of the Universe, which is understood as obeying rules or law of Engineering is the Discipline and Profession of applying technical and scientific Knowledge and The humanities are academic disciplines which study the Human condition, using methods that are primarily Analytic, Critical, or Speculative The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including Anthropology, Communication studies Fine art is any Art form developed primarily for Aesthetics rather than Utility. The performing arts are those forms of Art which differ from the Plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own Body, Face and presence Vocational education or Vocational Education and Training (VET also called Career and Technical Education (CTE prepares learners for jobs that are based

See also

• Alternative school
• Charter school
• Education reform
• Exceptional education
• Public education
• National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology (NCSSSMST)
• School choice

References

External links

• Magnet Schools of America
• Magnet Schools Assistance - U.S. Department of Education
• Public school Review - What is a Magnet School?

The United States Department of Education (also referred to as ED, for Education Department is a Cabinet -level department of the United States

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