poverty. They can, however, act as a catalyst. Alternative public schoolsùschools with a different organizational patternùcame into existence during the 1960s as an alternative to involuntary busing. These schools represented a voluntary attempt to reduce racial isolation. The open enrollment policy enabled students to attend schools outside their neighborhood school zone.
Educational vouchers were also discussed during this time period as a means of equalizing educational opportunities for the poor, and a system of public vouchers started in the early 1970s. The term ômagnetö was coined then when administrators of the Performing and Visual Arts School of Houston, Texas said that their school acted like a magnet in attracting students. By 1975, the term magnet school was used to describe various kinds of fiscal assistance considered by the federal government (Waldrip, 2000). Currently magnets schools are the dominant type of school of choice. According to Black (1996), more than 1.5 million children attended magnet schools with a waiting list of more than 120,000 just in 1996. Black also contends that the survival of magnet schools depends on serving diverse student populations effectively so that high quality educational programs are offered in addition to reducing racial isolation.
According to Mario Fantini, all meaningful reform of education is tied to the movement toward public schools of choice. ôMagnet schools are based on the premise that all students do not learn in the same ways, that if we find a different theme or organizational structure for students of similar interest, those students will learn more in all areasö largely because they want to be in that particular school, and this is more likely to ensure a childÆs academic success (Waldrip, 2000).
Magnet schools, like other public schools, must meet state and local requirements regarding curriculum, teacher selection and retention and student body d...