Transcript Staff Presentations - Home | Magnet Schools of America

Magnet Schools: How the Forgotten
Choice Has Held its Ground
Dr. Robert Brooks, President, R&J Consulting, Warwick, RI
Bill Magnotta, Consultant, Magnet Institute at Goodwin College – East
Hartford, CT
Doreen Marvin, LEARN Director – Old Lyme, CT
Scott Thomas, Executive Director, Magnet Schools of America – D.C.
Who & What?
• Magnet Schools of America is a 501c(3) membership
organization that represents nearly 2000 magnet and themebased schools nationally
• National Institute for Magnet School Leadership
• Technical assistance and national conferences
• Advocacy, outreach and support for magnet schools
• Approximately 3,600 magnet schools in 48 states serving
approximately 2.8 million students
• Fine & Performing Arts, STEM, International Baccalaureate, and
Career magnet schools are most represented.
• Definition: Magnet Schools are public schools with a unique
curricular or instructional focus that attracts students from
outside the traditional attendance area.
CRITICAL LEARNING: What Are The
Essential Characteristics of Magnet
Schools?
• A comprehensive:
• Magnet school plan includes mission and vision
• Statements, educational goals, objectives and
strategies for curricular and instructional design and
implementation
• Marketing and recruitment strategies designed to
attract a diverse student body
• Community partnerships and family engagement
• Assessment and continuous improvement
Theory Behind Magnet Schools
• All students have interests, talents and passions for
learning
• By offering a unique “theme” and/or instructional
approach to learning will attract a diverse student body
• This diverse student body will prevent, eliminate or reduce
minority group isolation*
• Students and teachers “opt in” to the school because of the
shared vision, interest, and environment contained in a
magnet schools leading to higher engagement, meaningful
student interaction, and higher academic outcomes.
* Minority groups are often locally defined and are not limited to racial background.
RESEARCH REFERENCES
• ACHIEVEMENT AND OPPORTUNITY GAPS
• US Department of Education
• www.ed.gov/news/speches/closing
• John Hopkins University
• www.jhu.edu
• www.avid.org
• Magnet Schools of America
• www.magnet.edu
• National Center for School Choice
• www.vanderbuilt.edu/schoolchoice
Perceptions of School Climate
• Peer support for academic achievement is stronger in magnets than in nonmagnet city schools;
• Magnet city students perceive more encouragement and support for college
attainment than city students in non-magnets;
• Magnet students are less likely to be absent or skip classes than either nonmagnet city or non-magnet suburban students;
• Overall, magnet schools provide an academic climate similar to that found in
a wealthy, suburban non-magnet high school.
• Teacher-student relationships (ninth grade) and students’ sense of safety
and belonging slightly weaker in magnet schools
Source: the High School Student Survey
EXEMPLARY SCHOOLS
• Hartford, CONNECTICUT—K-8
• Annie Fisher STEM School: 2012 National Blue Ribbon
School
• www.anniefishermagnet.shutterfly.com
• Miami –Dade, FLORIDA—K-8
• Frank C. Martin, International Baccalaueate
• (IB PYP/MYP) Florida “A” School
• www.fcmartin.dadeschools.net
• Dallas, TEXAS—9-12
• Booker T Washington High School for the Visual and
Performing Arts
• www.dallasisd.org/bookert
The Connecticut Story
• Statewide School Choice Data
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL
Connecticut River Academy
School is 3 years old
Theme
Location
College and
Career Readiness
• Environmental Science
• Early College
• Goodwin College
• CT River
• Magnet Standards
• Habits of Mind (Costa and Kalllick)
• Kagan Cooperative Structures
CONNECTICUT RIVER ACADEMY
• Students from 42 towns
.33 White
.33 Hispanic
.33 Black
90% of Seniors have at least one college
course
40% of seniors will have 4 semesters worth
of college courses
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY MAGNET
HIGH SCHOOL
Bio-Medical
Sciences
curriculum
Expansion into a
Sports
Medicine/Athletic
Trainer
curriculum
Addition of an
All-New Early
College model
RECRUITMENT EFFORTS
140
120
100
80
Minority
Non Minority
60
40
20
0
2010
2011
2012
Comparison of CAPT reading
within New London district
Comparison of CAPT Math
within New London District
Comparison of CAPT science
within new London district
Marine Science Highlights
Curriculum
12 A.P. and ECE* courses- 250 students
Awards
School of Distinction Award for Overall
Performance in 2013 and 2014
Recognition
2012-2013 Cielukowski Outstanding First-Year Principal
of the Year Award from the Connecticut Association of
Schools
Class of 2014 SAT scores
Percentile
Overall
Reading
Math
Writing
75%
1760
620
560
610
50%
1560
530
500
530
25%
1340
440
450
460
Comparison of Magnet Schools
CAPT Science
Bibliography
• A Review of the Research on Magnet Schools, Miami Dade County Public
Schools
The bulk of this report focuses on studies that have compared the academic
achievement of magnet school students to those attending traditional
public schools. Studies examining the following three issues are also
summarized: ethnic and economic composition of schools; high school
graduation rates; and students' academic attitudes and behaviors.
• Magnet Schools Provide Academic and Social Benefits, Study Reports,
University of Connecticut Neag School of Education
Both white and minority children in Connecticut’s magnet schools showed
stronger connections to their peers of other races than students in their
home districts, and city students made greater academic gains than
students in non-magnet city schools, Casey Cobb and a team of colleagues
found in this research commissioned by the state of Connecticut.
• Magnet School Student Outcomes: What the Research Says (Research
Brief 6), National Coalition on School Diversity
This research brief outlines six major studies of magnet school student
outcomes. The studies are located within a much broader body of research
that documents the benefits of attending racially and socioeconomically
diverse schools.
Bibliography
• Reviving Magnet Schools: Strengthening a Successful Choice Option, UCLA Civil
Rights Project
This policy brief refocuses our attention on the longstanding magnet sector. It is
issued during a time of complex political and legal circumstances and seeks to
understand how a variety of factors—including theParents Involved ruling and the
transition to a U.S. Department of Education led by the Obama Administration—
have influenced federally-funded magnet programs.
• Turnaround Schools That Work: Moving Beyond Separate but Equal, The Century
Foundation
Senior Fellow Richard Kahlenberg details why “turnaround” approaches that focus
on changing principals and teachers but fail to address issues related to parents and
students, have fallen short of expectations. His report also includes a body of
evidence that demonstrates that magnet schools with a socioeconomic mix can
raise student achievement.
• The Forgotten Choice? Rethinking Magnet Schools in a Changing Landscape, UCLA
Civil Rights Project
Historically, magnet schools have been an important part of school districts' efforts
to improve equity and quality in our nation's schools. But as charters have become
a central focus of school choice proponents, federal funds for magnet schools have
been frozen. This report looks at the policy effects of neglecting magnet schools.
Bibliography
•
The Impact of Racially Diverse Schools in a Democratic Society (Research Brief 3), National
Coalition on School Diversity
This research brief is the third in a series. It summarizes the findings from the most rigorous
research related to racial and socioeconomic diversity in public schools.
• What We Know About School Integration, College Attendance, and the Reduction of
Poverty (Research Brief 4), National Coalition on School Diversity
This research brief details the effects of K-12 school integration on college attendance rates,
college graduation, and intergenerational perpetuation of poverty.
• School Integration and K-12 Educational Outcomes: A Quick Synthesis of Social Science
Evidence(Research Brief 5), National Coalition on School Diversity
This research brief outlines the positive effects of racial and socioeconomic diversity on K12 educational outcomes.
• How Non-Minority Students Also Benefit from Racially Diverse Schools (Research Brief 8),
National Coalition on School Diversity
Recognizing that sustained support for school diversity on the part of white families is
central to the creation of stable, integrated schools, this research brief outlines the best
evidence to date on the benefits of racially diverse K-12 experiences for white students.
Discussion