A
magnet school is a
public school which offers specialized
courses or
curricula. The term
magnet school is mostly associated with the
United States, although other countries have similar types of schools (such as
UK specialist schools). 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. The school which a student would attend if they were not attending the magnet school is often referred to as the
home school.
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.
Enrollment and curricula
Some magnet schools have a competitive entrance process, requiring an
entrance examination,
interview, or
audition. 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.
Most magnet schools concentrate on a particular discipline or area of study, while others (such as
International Baccalaureate schools) have a more general focus. 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.
Purpose
Magnet schools were originally started 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. This continues to some extent today. In some communities past
racial segregation issues resulted in court-ordered attendance plans and
desegregation busing of children far from their homes and closer schools to achieve the required balance. 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 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 for whom the earliest efforts were directed.
There are magnet schools at the
elementary school,
middle school, and
high school levels. 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 the
Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center in
Dallas.
See also
External links
The term
public school has three distinct meanings:
- In the USA and Canada, elementary or secondary school supported and administered by state and local officials.
..... Click the link for more information. For other uses, see Course.
In U.S. education, a
course is a unit of teaching that typically lasts one academic term, is led by one or more instructors (teachers or professors), has a fixed roster of students, and gives each student a grade and
..... Click the link for more information. curricula) is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow and mature in becoming adults.
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Education in the United States is provided mainly by government, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. School attendance is mandatory and nearly universal at the elementary and high school levels (often known outside the United States as the
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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2] (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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The specialist schools programme is a UK government initiative which encourages secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is responsible for the delivery of the programme.
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magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. A "hard" or "permanent" magnet is one which stays magnetized for a long time, such as magnets often used in refrigerator doors.
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board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors of a school, local school district or higher administrative level.
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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 their studies at specific schools, or even in specific fields.
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Decentralization is the process of dispersing decision-making closer to the point of service or action. It occurs in a great many contexts in engineering, management science, political science, political economy, sociology and economics—each of which could be said to study
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worldwide view of the subject.
Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page.
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.
..... Click the link for more information. The Governor's Schools are a collection of regional magnet high schools and summer programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia intended for gifted students.
Virginia Governor’s Schools provide some of the state’s most able students academically and artistically
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Commonwealth of Virginia
Flag of Virginia Seal
Nickname(s): Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents
Motto(s): Sic semper tyrannis
Official language(s) English
Capital Richmond
Largest city
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A state government (provincial government in Canada) is the government of a subnational entity in states with federal forms of government, which shares political power with the federal government or national government.
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An entrance examination is an examination that educational institutions use to select students for admission. These exams may be administered at any level of education, from primary to higher education.
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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 the interviewee.
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audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist. It is used in the casting process to demonstrate the level and range of a performer's talent, and functions as a job interview for the performing arts.
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lottery is a popular form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize. Some governments outlaw it, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments.
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The
International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) is an educational programme examined in one of three languages (English, French or Spanish) and is a university entrance course.
..... Click the link for more information. Mathematics (colloquially, maths or math) is the body of knowledge centered on such concepts as quantity, structure, space, and change, and also the academic discipline that studies them. Benjamin Peirce called it "the science that draws necessary conclusions".
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natural science refers to a rational approach to the study of the universe, which is understood as obeying rules or laws of natural origin. The term natural science
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Engineering is the applied science of acquiring and applying knowledge to design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. The American Engineers' Council for Professional Development, also known as ECPD,[1] (later ABET [2]
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The humanities are those academic disciplines which study the human condition using methods that are largely analytic, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences.
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The social sciences are a group of academic disciplines that study human aspects of the world. They diverge from the arts and humanities in that the social sciences tend to emphasize the use of the scientific method in the study of humanity, including quantitative and qualitative
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Fine art refers to arts that are concerned with a limited number of visual and performing art forms, including painting, sculpture, dance, theatre, architecture and printmaking.
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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 as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some art object.
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Vocational education (or Vocational Education and Training (VET), also called Career and Technical Education (CTE)) prepares learners for careers that are based in manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic and totally related to a specific trade,
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Racial segregation in the United States is the history of racial segregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines.
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Desegregation busing is the practice of remedying past racial discrimination in American public schools by assigning and transporting children to specific schools in an effort to counteract discriminatory school construction and district assignments.
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Richmond, Virginia
Flag
Seal
Nickname: River City, Cap City
Motto: Sic Itur Ad Astra (Thus do we reach the stars)
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Coordinates:
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