The Desegregation Aims and Demographic Contexts of Magnet Schools: How Parents Choose and Why Siting Policies Matter

Abstract

This paper is designed to specify a set of new opportunities for educators, school administrators, and scholars to realize the practical aims and strategic advantages envisioned in magnet schools. The paper is divided into three distinct sections. In Section I, we examine the extensive research literature on parents’ choice patterns and school preferences in magnet schools and other school-choice programs. In Section II, we compare the reasons parents choose particular schools with the criteria school districts use to select magnet school locations (and themes). This section highlights desegregation goals and district-level magnet school policies pegged to the following questions: What is the policy context for siting decisions in districts with magnet schools? Are siting policies strategically aligned with what is known from the research literature about parents’ school preferences? Do neighborhood characteristics play a part in magnet school siting policies and specific decision-making? In Section III, we use geographic information system (GIS) tools to add both clarity and complexity to the convergence of parent choice patterns and sociodemographic diversity in our four selected school districts. The maps depict the racial and socioeconomic characteristics of the magnet schools in each district, as well as the demographic characteristics of surrounding census tracts (extended school neighborhoods). We conclude that GIS can be a viable option for improving the citing decisions for magnet schools, and that this can allow for the merging of parent choice priorities with educational equity and diversity goals of the district.

APPENDIX

APPENDIX A. Montgomery County Magnet Schools by percent below poverty level and free and reduced-price lunch

APPENDIX B. Montgomery County Magnet Schools by racial distribution and AYP status

APPENDIX C. Clark County Magnet Schools by percent below poverty level and free and reduced-price lunch

APPENDIX D. Clark County Magnet Schools by racial demographics and AYP status

APPENDIX E. Hamilton County Magnet Schools by percent below poverty level and free and reduced-price lunch

APPENDIX F. Hamilton County Magnet Schools by racial demographics and AYP status

APPENDIX G. Wake County Magnet Schools by percent below poverty, free and reduced-price lunch, and AYP

APPENDIX H. Wake County Magnet Schools by racial distribution and AYP status

APPENDIX I Descriptive Tables

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