From: kckbxr@next05pg2.wam.umd.edu (Robin of Locksley)
Subject: Magnet schools
Organization: Workstations at Maryland, University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 21:46:32 GMT

Okay, it seems as though my comments earlier were taken totally  
off-the-wall.  Well, allow me to try and explain a little clearer.  I am  
against Magnet schools because they DO discriminate, that's it!  I do not  
know how much funds they receive, but I will try and look it up.  Someone  
posted something about Eleanor Roosevelt, let me explain that one. ERHS is  
a Science & Technology school, not necessarily a magnet school.  There are  
magnet schools throughout the county that offer a variety of *specialty*  
programs for high school students (i.e. performing arts, aerospace  
education, etc.).  In order to be accepted parents/guardians must stand in  
line for space availability.  In some cases, an exam is given with the  
highest scores being accepted.  If accepted into their requested school,  
the students are then bused to that school...EVEN if they live many miles  
away.  While this may sound ideal, it's not.  If a student is  
educationally advanced (in some cases, doesn't have the *right* contacts)  
and unable to get into the schools preferred, they are sent to a regular  
school in their district or busing neighborhood.  This automatically  
creates a sense of elitism and tends to block the progress of the school  
system.  When two particular groups of students are separated (smarter v.  
not-as-smart) discrimination exists.  This tends to create violence in  
neighborhoods and in the school system.  Now, many will disagree with me.   
Well, I live in a neighborhood nearby ERHS (science & tech) and,  
basically, on its busing border.  There is constantly conflict between the    
nearby (three high schools within 2-3 miles) high schools.  In addition,  
there is conflict between the students from different neighborhood groups  
that are bused into the area to attend different schools.  In result,  
fights break out and neighborhoods look bad.  

Why am I complaining?  Why am I upset?  I qualified for ERHS entrance exam  
and chose not to attend as I would have to be bused and felt that I could  
get the best kind of education in a non-specialty school.  I, instead,  
chose to attend another nearby hs that wasn't so well-regarded as ERHS.   
There were plenty of real smart students here and the students there  
despised the "other" students and the school system for creating such a  
system.  As far as what experience that I may have, well, I was on my hs  
student council and served as a delegate to the county student council  
(PGRASG).  There, I was able to meet many different students from a  
variety of schools and backgrounds.  I've found that the schools that  
offer magnet programs would be far better offering them during non-school  
hours (i.e. summer, vocational, private, college-prep, advanced placement,  
etc.) than during a part of a specific "school".  This system creates a  
system of elitism and a system of failure.  Why else do people quit  
school, commit crimes, and choose not to follow rules & regulations than  
through a lack of motivation?  When certain schools are labelled as  
"magnet" or "special" schools, the schools that aren't are treated as  
ordinary or less-than-ordinary and the students are the ones who suffer.   
When education suffers, society suffers as well. 

bill
Newsgroups: misc.education,sci.edu