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Show HINCKLEY JOURNAL OF POLITICS SPRING 2001 schools is that they provide more resources than non-magnets. Magnets are a practical way to bring those with greater political power and influence, namely middle class whites, into poverty stricken neighborhood schools. If a middle class white child is enrolled in an inner city magnet school, his or her parents have a vested interest in the school as well as the surrounding community. These parents can use their political leverage to bring about changes that those with fewer political resources could not bring about. Additional financial resources enable administrators to hire better teachers. In fact, research finds that magnet teachers are more qualified, enjoy more autonomy, and have greater access to resources than non-magnet schools. They are also more likely to have advanced degrees (Fuller 1999, 29). Teachers at magnet schools report more adequate instructional resources and assistance. In particular, magnet teachers indicate greater access to professional support staff such as counselors and specialists (Smrekar and Goldring 1999, 89). Unlike inner city schools, magnets have little difficulty in finding qualified teachers. Magnet school principals are allowed to actively advertise for and recruit new teachers with the specific knowledge and skills needed for program themes. These needs also allow principals to be far more selective. Experience and commitment are given preference over mere seniority, not the case in most typical public schools (Fuller and Elmore 1996, 165-66). Like suburban schools, magnet programs can offer better pay and a better working environment than inner city schools. In 1994, Researchers Claire Smrekar and Ellen Goldring studied two elementary magnet schools in Cincinnati to gain a better idea of how magnet environments differed from typical public schools. Mathematics and Science Academy enrolled 575 students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The school was located in a predominately white working class neighborhood, and 83 percent of the students were bused. Student population was 51 percent African American and 49 percent white, and 70 percent of students came from low-income families (Smrekar and Goldring 1999, 90). Greenwood Paideia, the other school studied, was located in a racially mixed, middle class neighborhood. Its racial composition was 52 percent African American and 48 percent white and 95 percent of the students were bused (Smrekar and Goldring 1999, 91). Teachers at both schools repeatedly compared their magnet working environments with their experiences at poorly funded inner city and minority neighborhood schools. Definitions of quality in magnet schools were measured in relation to the inner city schools, at which they had previously taught. Many of these elementary school teachers conceded that the magnet curriculum was largely standardized and traditional, but they also noted that magnet schools did not have the outside distractions such as violence that inner city schools had. Instead, these magnets had "a librarian in every school and a computer in every classroom....The magnets provide enough books for entire classroom of students and the desks, chairs, and windows are not broken." Another teacher expressed joy at not having "roaches climbing over my walls and not being called a bitch" (Smrekar and Goldring 1999, 91-3). Further, students at magnet schools have demonstrated higher achievement levels than their peers in non-magnet schools. In order to prove the causality of magnet schools and higher achievement, various studies have used statistical techniques to control for other factors such as family characteristics and students' pre-magnet test scores, which have been shown to predict current achievement levels (Fuller 1999, 28; Rossell 1990, 120). Studies conducted in Austin, Dallas, and San Diego in 1989 found that magnet schools have "a positive effect on student achievement." More specifically, the study reported that magnet students in Austin had "significantly" higher scores in science and math in grades 9-11. In San Diego magnet students were found to have far greater writing skills, although their critical thinking skills were deemed comparable to non-magnet students. These studies concluded that magnet schools' "smaller classes, increased time on task in the extended day, better programs, coupled with more parental involvement" increased student achievement (Rossell 1990, 121-122). More recent studies also indicate that magnets increase the level of student achievement. A 1997 study conducted in St. Louis found that magnet students had higher scores on the state's assessment tests in mathematics, reading, science, and social studies than students in neighborhood schools. Another study conducted in 1996 in San Antonio concluded that that students in magnet programs scored substantially higher on math and reading assessment than students in non-magnet schools (Fuller 1999, 30-31). Nevertheless, serious problems exist with current magnet programs. Researcher Christine Rossell documented that significant racial and social-economic stratifications can be linked to magnet themes. She notes that the most popular magnets were the gifted and talented programs located in white neighborhoods. The least popular magnets were the basic skills programs located in integrated or minority neighborhoods. By locating the gifted and talented schools on the outskirts of the city, white higher-income parents are able to stay fairly close to their neighborhood, keeping the more prestigious magnet predominately white. She states, "whites will transfer to minority schools only if the districts place additional funds and a special curriculum there" (Rossell 1990, 130-34, 145). Researchers have also found some middle class and higher working class families would rather be on long waiting lists to certain magnet schools, where their children would be with the children of the highest social class and achievement level possible, than attend a conventional school (Metz 1986, 208). These findings are an indication that magnets sometimes stray from their goal of integration. It appears that the more important goal for some of these schools is pleasing those with more political resources through thematic schools designed to meet their particular interests. The "creaming off of higher-income students can also be attributed to the transportation options available to disad- 71 |