In Philadelphia, if a student chooses not to attend their neighborhood school, other options include schools with specialized programming in the arts, sciences, or business fields, schools with career and technical education options, and competitive magnet schools. But choosing an out-of-catchment school rather than a neighborhood school may…

This paper examines thirty major American cities to determine how "choice-friendly" they are today. Selected for their size and geographic diversity, the cities reveal both the best and worst conditions for school choice to take root and grow. "School choice" is defined broadly to incorporate a wide range of public and private…

In general, the seven magnet high schools haven't worked as a way of keeping whites in Philadelphia's schools. Despite the millions spent on new magnet schools, nearly all of them are more segregated today than when they opened. (Author)

A study was conducted to investigate: (1) how successful has the magnet school been in attracting a student body that is representative of the students in the school district? and (2) according to the perceptions of parents of pupils at a senior high magnet school, what are the important program and non-program factors affecting the…

The first year of an individualized bilingual magnet project was evaluated. A total of 254 elementary and secondary students in Philadelphia participated. Multimedia bilingual education was provided to students of non-English speaking backgrounds at two sites. At the elementary site, bilingual education was offered in Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese,…

Philadelphia's voluntary school desegregation plan is designed to offer pupils the opportunity for educational experiences in multicultural, multiracial schools, and to prevent white flight from the public schools. Strategies for achieving desegregation include the creation of magnet schools, voluntary school pairing, the Alternative for Middle…

Holds that magnet schools should attract substantial numbers of different racial backgrounds. Describes a study of Philadelphia's High School for Creative and Performing Arts that investigated (1) the school's success in attracting students representative of those in the school district; and (2) parents' perceptions of factors that enhance the…

Examines the effects of high school choice on high risk students in four large urban school districts. Finds that with the exception of some magnet school programs, admissions procedures and program consequences usually operate to the detriment of students at risk. (FMW)

The third year of an individualized multimedia bilingual magnet school project for limited English proficient students in Philadelphia was evaluated. Bilingual multimedia learning centers were operated at each of the two sites. At the elementary site, pupils from Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese backgrounds received bilingual instruction and were…

The second year of an individualized multimedia bilingual magnet school project for non-English speaking background students in Philadelphia was evaluated. Approximately 275 students participated in programs at two sites. Bilingual multimedia learning centers containing materials for individual and small-group instruction and computer terminals…

The project is designed to support the school district's voluntary desegregation plan by providing a highly individualized program to attract pupils from outside the school boundaries. A Bilingual-Bicultural Learning Center and supportive instruction personnel were installed in the school to help with the variety of needs of the individual…

The Philadelphia experience very strongly indicates that at least in Philadelphia, and very probably in most large cities in the northeastern U.S., several factors--notably the geographic separation of the races within the city and the existence of a sizable non-public school system (Usually (Usually parochial)--preclude the effective…

Social capital is broadly beneficial, but parents reap particular benefits from network ties. Schools are key organizations through which parents develop ties. In this article, we examine school-based networks that provide valuable resources. What factors are associated with greater access to key resources such as child care, parenting advice, and…

Race and class segregation have long governed patterns of residential sorting in the American metropolis. However, as urban neighborhoods across the country experience an influx of white and middle-class residents, they could alleviate the stark economic and racial segregation that is ubiquitous to urban neighborhoods and school systems. This…

Through school-based networks, parents obtain information, practical help, and other resources. Because networks vary by size and structure, access to these resources is uneven. What accounts for differences in access to social ties and in the mobilization of those ties to provide resources? In this article, we analyze a network of mothers of…