U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Creating and Sustaining 

Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat i o n s i n Edu c a t i o n 

Prepared by WestEd

For

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Innovation and Improvement

2008

Creating and Sustaining 

Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat i o n s i n Edu c a t i o n 
This report was produced under U.S. Department of Education Contract No. ED-01-CO-0012, Task 

Order D010, with WestEd. Sharon Kinney Horn served as the contracting officer’s representative. The 

content of this report does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of 

Education, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, curricula and curricula materials and approaches, or organizations imply endorsements by the U.S. government. This publication 

also contains Internet Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) for information created and maintained by 

private organizations. This information is provided for the reader’s convenience. The U.S. Department 

of Education is not responsible for controlling or guaranteeing the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or 

completeness of the outside information mentioned in this report. Further, the inclusion of information 

or a URL does not reflect the importance of the organization, nor is it intended to endorse any views 

expressed, or products or services offered.

U.S. Department of Education

Margaret Spellings

Secretary

Office of Innovation and Improvement

Douglas B. Mesecar

Assistant Deputy Secretary

Office of Parental Options and Information

Dean Kern

Director

September 2008

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While 

permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U.S. Department of 

Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement, Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet 

Schools, Washington, D.C., 2008.

Cover photo credit: Christian Holden.

To order copies of the report Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools (order 

number ED004210P),

write to: ED Pubs, Education Publications Center, U.S. Department of Education, P.O. Box 1398, 

Jessup, MD 20794-1398;

or fax your request to: 301-470-1244;

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or order online at: http://www.edpubs.ed.gov. 

This report is also available on the Department’s Web site at: 

http://www.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/magnet-k8

On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print, or computer 

diskette. For more information, please contact the Department’s Alternate Format Center at 202-260-0852 

or 202-260-0818.
iii

Contents

Foreword v

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

An Evolving Multipurpose Tool (1)

Meeting the Challenge: One School’s Story (2)

Models of Success (3)

Part I: Lessons From the School Sites 9

Before the Doors Open: Planning (10)

Develop a Viable Theme and Mission (11)

Establish a Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum (13)

Attract Quality Leaders and Staff (18)

After the Doors Open: Implementing (20)

Maintain the Theme With Integrity (20)

Establish Equitable Practices for a Diverse Student Body (22)

Develop a Culture of Empowerment (26)

Provide Ongoing Professional Development (28)

Build Leadership Capacity (30)

Keeping the Doors Open: Sustaining Success (33)

Adopt a Continuous Improvement Model (33)

Build Win-Win Partnerships (35)

Develop Community Outreach (39)

Align With a District Vision (41)

Part II: Profiles of Magnet Schools Highlighted in Part I 47

A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School, 

Raleigh, N.C. (49)

FAIR (Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource School), 

Crystal, Minn. (53)

Mabel Hoggard Math and Science Magnet School, Las Vegas (57)

Normal Park Museum Magnet School, Chattanooga, Tenn. (61)

Raymond Academy for Engineering, Houston (65)

River Glen Elementary & Middle School, San Jose, Calif. (69)

Appendix A: Research Methodology 73

Appendix B: Resources 77

Notes 79
iv

Figures and Tables

FIGURES

1. Statement of Core Values for A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School (Adapted) 14

2. Goals of River Glen Elementary & Middle School 15

3. Normal Park Museum Magnet School Newsletter Notice: Summary of 

“Worlds of Wonder” Modules 17

4. West Metro Education Program Instructional Framework for Equitable Practices: Handout Used 

By FAIR Staff 25

5. Excerpt of Chart Showing Leadership Roles Across Mabel Hoggard Math and Science 

Magnet School Staff 32

6. Parent Survey Results With Sample Teacher Response From A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet 

Elementary School 36

7. FAIR (Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource School) Brochure Listing Arts Partnerships 38

8. Raymond Academy for Engineering Promotional and Recruitment Flyer 40

9. “Then and Now” Chart Showing Growth and Change at River Glen Elementary & 

Middle School 43

TABLES

1. Selected Characteristics of Profiled K–8 Magnet School Sites 6

2. Reading, Math, and Writing Achievement Data for Raymond Academy, by Selected 

Subgroups, 2006–07 School Year 35

3. Various Funding Sources for Profiled Schools and Affiliated Partnerships Promoting Sustainability 44
v

Foreword

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), families have more freedom than 

ever before to make decisions about how their children are educated. Thanks to a wide array of 

public school choice options, including charter and magnet schools, families can customize their 

children’s learning, which is translating into improved academic achievement throughout the nation. 

In the classroom itself, individualized instruction can yield tremendous results for students. 

Magnet schools in particular are excellent examples of how specialized programs can spark enthusiasm for learning and catalyze academic growth in students whose interests and aptitudes may not be 

fulfilled by their neighborhood schools. Magnets like the six elementary and middle schools profiled 

in this guide use themed instruction in such subjects as fine arts, leadership, and engineering to meet 

the needs of students from diverse backgrounds and interests. 

For many years, magnet schools offered families the dominant form of public school choice in 

America, first appearing in the 1960s as a tool to increase racial desegregation and resolve educational inequities. It may not seem fitting to deem these schools “innovative” since they have been 

around for nearly 40 years. However, magnet schools have a new and expanded role under NCLB, 

and their power for systemic reform has yet to be fully realized.

In addition to maintaining diverse student populations and advancing school choice, magnet schools 

are reversing declining district enrollments, turning around low student performance, and serving 

as laboratories for promising education practices. The schools highlighted in the following pages 

have achieved these goals despite such obstacles as budgetary constraints, the demoralizing effects 

of poverty, and children entering with skills far below grade level. 

Uniting these schools is the belief that education can empower families and revitalize communities 

and that every student—regardless of race, income, or zip code—deserves to be challenged and can 

achieve. As one administrator at a profiled school asserts, “If you can dream it, you can build it.” 

This guide provides examples of promising strategies and case studies for district leaders and school 

staff interested in building and growing their own magnet schools. The schools profiled here have 

adopted continuous improvement plans based on data. As a result, their students’ achievement has 

improved significantly.

This guide is one in a series of Innovations in Education publications produced by the U.S. Department of Education. I congratulate the schools highlighted here, and hope that educators and others 

can learn from their experiences.

Margaret Spellings, Secretary

U.S. Department of Education

Acknowledgments

This guide was developed under the auspices 

of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office 

of Innovation and Improvement. Sharon Horn 

was project director.

An external advisory panel provided feedback 

to refine the study scope and prioritize issues to 

investigate. Members included Robert Brooks, 

Executive Director, Magnet Schools of America; 

Brita Lindsey, Magnet Specialist, Houston Independent School District, Magnet Department; 

Billie Moore, Director, Magnet and Gifted Education Programs, Indianapolis Public Schools; 

Anthony Perrone, Principal, Rampello Downtown Partnership School, Tampa; Gina Rigsby, 

Principal, Reed Academy, Aldine Independent 

School District, Tampa; Claire Smrekar, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Education, 

Vanderbilt University; and Kenneth Wong, Professor of Education, Brown University.

Staff in the U.S. Department of Education who 

provided input and reviewed drafts include 

Sue Betka, Steve Brockhouse, Tom Corwin, Kate 

Devine, Meredith Farace, Lorenzo Esters, Richard 

Foster, Virginia Gentles, Holly Kuzmich, Meghan 

Lerch, Greg March, Richard Smith, Tiffany ­Taber, 

Linda Wilson, and James Woodsome.

The six schools participating in the development 

of this guide and the case studies on which it is 

based were generous with both their time and 

attention to the project. We would like to thank 

those who were instrumental in coordinating 

and participating in the site visits that inform 

the case studies and this guide.

A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School

2001 Lorimer Road

Raleigh, NC 27606

http://combses.wcpss.net

Muriel Summers, Principal

FAIR (Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource School)

3915 Adair Ave. N.

Crystal, MN 55442

http://www.wmep.k12.mn.us/fair

Kevin Bennett, Principal

Mabel Hoggard Math and Science Magnet School

950 North Tonopah Drive

Las Vegas, NV 89106

http://www.ccsd.net/schools/hoggard

Celese Rayford, Principal

Normal Park Museum Magnet School

1009 Mississippi Avenue

Chattanooga, TN 37405

http://www.normalparkmuseummagnet.com

Jill Levine, Principal

Raymond Academy for Engineering

1605 Connorvale Road

Houston, TX 77039

http://www1.aldine.k12.tx.us/schools/websites/

raymond/index.html

Linda L. Miller, Principal

River Glen Elementary & Middle School

1088 Broadway St.

San Jose, CA 95125

http://www.sjusd.org/school/river_glen

Mildred Colon-Arellano, Principal

vii

Introduction

Magnet schools have developed strong national and local constituencies among parents and educators, who see them as vehicles for bringing equity and academic excellence to all students. 

Typically, these schools offer innovative programs through a specialized focus or theme. They may 

emphasize subjects like science or the arts, or they may adopt distinct instructional models, like 

those of Montessori or International Baccalaureate programs. Magnet schools provide appealing 

choices for families and students whose neighborhood school may not serve a student’s interests, 

talents, and aptitudes. By offering a specialized curriculum, they attract students from varied 

backgrounds, creating diversity within learning communities and providing opportunities for 

beneficial education outcomes.

An Evolving Multipurpose Tool

Historically, districts used magnet schools as 

a mechanism for achieving voluntary desegregation in their public school systems, whether 

proactively or under court order. From 1972 to 

1981, districts were eligible for funding under 

the Emergency School Aid Act to implement 

magnet schools, federal support that continued 

with the authorization of the Magnet Schools 

Assistance program (MSAP) in 1985. Today, 

magnet schools are seen to have multiple, overlapping purposes. Under the aegis of the U.S. 

Department of Education’s Office of Innovation 

and Improvement, MSAP grants are given to 

projects that are expected to assist in the desegregation of public schools by addressing minority group isolation in schools with substantial numbers of minority group students. At the 

same time, these projects are expected to help 

achieve systemic education reforms and to give 

all of their students the opportunity to meet 

challenging academic content and achievement 

standards. Not least, those receiving funds are 

also expected to develop innovative education 

methods and practices that promote diversity 

and increase public school choice.1

Changing demographics across the country underscore the urgency for new approaches to 

avoiding minority group isolation in schools 

and to raising achievement for students of all 

backgrounds, as mandated in the federal No 

Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Today, 

public school educators face rapidly expanding 

nonwhite populations, with racial and ethnic 

diversity accelerating in suburban areas even 

as a growing de facto residential segregation 

isolates many urban school communities with 

largely low-income, minority students.2 At the 

same time, concerns about entrenched achievement gaps among students in different socioeconomic and ethnic or racial subgroups also 

have put the spotlight on excellence and equity. A body of research highlights the education 

benefits of student diversity.3

 Studies also show 

that magnets, like other schools of choice, can 

increase students’ motivation and parent satisfaction and involvement, as well as teacher 

engagement and morale.4

1
2

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

The continuing appeal of magnet schools is 

evidenced in their growing ranks. By one estimate, the number of magnet schools tripled 

between 1981 and 2002.5

 Successful magnet 

schools are now seen as vehicles for accomplishing a range of overlapping goals for a 

host district: promoting voluntary desegregation, turning around low-performing schools, 

reversing declining enrollment, incubating innovative educational practices, catalyzing urban renewal, expanding a district’s program of 

school choice, and, underlying everything else, 

closing achievement gaps. Yet, simply adopting or maintaining a thematic program for a 

magnet school is no formula for success—and 

sustaining success beyond initial improvements 

in enrollment and performance can be elusive: 

School leadership changes, new staff replace 

those with the initial vision and commitment 

that helped launch the magnet school, and 

competition for resources needed to sustain a 

program stiffens. Consider the experience of 

A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary 

School, one of six successful magnet schools 

featured in this guide. 

Meeting the Challenge: 

One School’s Story

Among its many distinctions, the A.B. Combs 

Leadership Magnet Elementary School (Combs) 

in Raleigh, N.C., claims to be the nation’s first 

elementary school to focus on leadership development in children. How the school has 

transformed itself over the last decade illustrates some of the challenges magnet schools 

face when it comes to sustaining success. Using 

an extended day program as its initial “magnet” 

to attract diverse families, Combs had raised 

proficiency rates through school reform efforts 

that, in the late 1990s, earned it a National Blue 

Ribbon award from the U.S. Department of 

Education program conceived to honor schools 

making significant gains in achievement. But 

by 1999, the school’s success appeared to be 

waning: Combs was underenrolled and faced a 

plateau in achievement scores.

Combs is part of the Wake County Public School 

System (WCPSS), whose magnet initiatives date 

back to 1981 when they were developed along 

with a student assignment process to ensure 

high-performing, desegregated schools across 

the district. Combs had been one of a number 

of extended-day magnet schools operating since 

1982 when the WCPSS adopted the Schools of 

Choice program to provide equity in education 

opportunity for students. But in the mid-1990s, 

when enrollment patterns revealed that this 

theme was no longer compelling enough to attract a diverse population of families, WCPSS 

decided to phase out the extended-day magnets entirely.

To retain Combs’ status as a magnet, principal Muriel Summers was asked by the district 

superintendent to come up with a new theme, 

described, she says, as being “like none other 

in the state ... preferably like none other in the 

country.” Summers faced the added hurdle of 

receiving no new funds for implementing a new 

theme. “We faced many challenges to make this 

model happen,” she recalls, “but we looked at 

the challenge as an opportunity for change.”

Without blueprints or start-up funds, Summers 

and her staff took the plunge. They began 

by reaching out to a loyal community of college professors, business people, and parents 
3

and has a leadership training partnership with a 

private school in Japan. 

Models of Success

This guide focuses on developing and sustaining successful magnet schools. It tells the stories 

of Combs and five other elementary and middle 

school magnets and the distinct challenges each 

has faced. It also analyzes the strategies they 

used in the planning and implementation phases of their development and identifies some 

potential factors that allow them to keep the 

school doors open as magnet schools that are 

built to last. Finally, the guide addresses a core 

question for educators at these schools: how to 

sustain the integrity of their vision and mission 

as they face challenges common to many districts and schools in our nation today. 

The schools profiled in this guide were selected with input from a group of advisors that included researchers, district-level practitioners, 

principals, and the executive director of Magnet 

Schools of America (MSA), a national association that helps schools, districts, and states to 

implement magnet programs. The selection criteria focused on identifying schools that have 

demonstrated strong achievement results; reduced minority group isolation; and sustained 

success over time.

Suggestions were culled from districts with 

large numbers of magnet schools, specifically 

those with well-established magnet programs. 

The advisory group and regional boards of MSA

also nominated schools with the aim of finding a range of locations and conditions, reflecting the diverse contexts and challenges facing 

of diverse ethnicities, asking them to describe 

the characteristics of the ideal school for their 

children. Responses were consistent, she recalls: 

“Academics were assumed, but never mentioned. It was always, ‘We want our children to 

be caring, hard working, and compassionate, to 

make good choices, and to grow up and give 

back.’ It really was all about character.” The idea 

for a magnet school focused on leadership and 

character development began to take shape. Its 

new mission was “to develop leaders one child 

at a time.” And at Combs, character education 

meant increasing students’ individual accountability, building a school culture of continuous 

improvement for all, and raising academic performance levels. 

Since its conversion to a leadership model, 

Combs has avoided stagnation in both performance and enrollment: It has raised its proficiency rates from 84 percent to 95 percent, as 

measured by the state’s end-of-grade achievement goals, while more than doubling its original 1982 enrollment of 360. Not content to rest 

on their laurels, Combs’ principal and staff say 

they are determined to reach 100 percent proficiency as part of their commitment to serving their diverse student body. With a total of 

809 students in grades K–5, Combs has one of 

the largest English language learner and special education populations in WCPSS, with its 

free or reduced-price lunch population closely 

mirroring the county’s demographics as well. It 

has no majority race, enrolling large numbers 

of African-American, white, Hispanic, and Asian 

American (chiefly, Southeast Asian, and Chinese) students. Over 50 countries are represented in the school as first- or second-generation 

immigrants. Combs receives numerous requests 

for site visits from educators around the country 
4

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

magnets (for a detailed description of the site 

selection process, see appendix A). 

Each school faced distinct challenges and drew 

from a variety of resources to sustain its growth 

and success (see table 1 on p. 6). Combs, the 

K–5 magnet, had the problem of needing to 

quickly choose and implement a new theme that 

could attract a broader enrollment base. FAIR 

(Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource School), a 

grades 4–8 magnet school in suburban Crystal, 

Minn., operates through an interdistrict consortium, with 45 percent of its student population 

coming from Minneapolis. Although it benefited from a new school building, it needed to 

develop an effective interdistrict infrastructure. 

In Las Vegas, the Mabel Hoggard Math and Science Magnet had to develop theme-related expertise among its elementary teachers through 

training and ongoing support.

Facing different challenges in their planning 

and implementation phases, all the profiled 

magnets are models of sustained success. Normal Park Museum Magnet School in Chattanooga, Tenn., was created in a district with a history of low-performing schools and clusters of 

minority-isolated schools. By developing strong 

partnerships with local cultural institutions, it 

developed a museum theme and was able to 

reverse the district’s declining trends and patterns of segregation. Normal Park educators 

also successfully tackled the achievement gap, 

particularly for its economically disadvantaged 

and African-American student subgroups, as evidenced by comparing 2003 to 2007 results on 

the Tennessee Comprehensive ­Assessment Program (TCAP). For economically disadvantaged 

students, proficiency rates in reading rose from 

64 percent to 93 percent; and, in math, from 

62 percent to 98 percent. For African-American 

students, proficiency rates in reading rose from 

60 percent to 96 percent; and, in math, from 

53 percent to 96 percent.

Raymond Academy for Engineering in Houston 

is a K–4 Title I6

 magnet school with the largest 

student population (846) among the six profiled 

schools. The school’s innovative curriculum, 

infused with real-world, project-based learning experiences, was instrumental in earning 

Raymond’s “Exemplary School” status from the 

Texas Education Agency. Since the implementation of NCLB, student performance at Raymond 

has increased each year and now surpasses district and state levels; Raymond’s test scores for 

2006–07 indicate almost universal proficiency 

in reading and math among all subgroups, including Hispanic, low income, English as a second language (ESL), and special education (see 

table 2 on p. 35).

In San Jose, Calif., the River Glen Elementary & 

Middle School is a K–8 dual language immersion 

school that has celebrated its 20th anniversary. 

What began in 1986 as an alternative strand in 

a local K–5 elementary school, eventually expanded to its own dedicated magnet school. 

Years later, due to parental demand, River Glen 

grew to include grades 6–8. Its academic success earned it a California Distinguished School 

award in 2000, and, in a district that is not making adequate yearly progress (AYP), River Glen 

has done so five years in a row. Today, River 

Glen’s success reaches beyond the school walls, 

and the school serves as a pioneer and model 

for dual immersion programs across the district, 

state, and country since receiving the National 

Title VII Academic Excellence Award7

 in 1995. 

Its track record for developing bilingual and 
5

biliterate students from white, native English 

speakers as well as Hispanic, native Spanish 

speakers spans more than two decades. (For 

selected characteristics of each featured school, 

see table 1 on p. 6.)

This guide describes the challenges faced by each 

of these schools and the various strategies used 

to address them. It is intended for district-level 

leaders and school staff interested in applying 

or adapting promising practices for developing 

and sustaining magnet schools. It defines and explores strategies through two frames. In Part I, a 

cross-site analysis provides examples of common 

practices in three phases of a magnet school’s 

general development: before the doors open, after the doors open, and keeping the doors open 

(see above). In Part II, each school is profiled 

in a narrative that highlights its specific contexts 

and challenges. The profiles are structured to describe the founding and early challenges of each 

school; how each went about implementing its 

1. Planning: 

Before the Doors Open

2. Implementing: 

After the Doors Open

3. Sustaining Success: 

Keeping the Doors Open

Develop a Viable Theme & Mission

Successful magnets choose a 

theme based on existing resources, 

local needs, and interests. The 

theme is linked to a clearly defined 

mission that attracts and energizes 

all stakeholders.

Establish a Rigorous & Relevant 

Curriculum

They design curriculum that promotes high intellectual performance 

and requires students to master and 

apply critical thinking, communication, and life skills needed in realworld contexts.

Attract Quality Leaders & Staff

They recruit a critical mass of quality educators and staff committed to 

collaborative leadership and realizing the mission of a specialized 

program.

Maintain the Theme With Integrity

Successful magnets align their theme 

with district and state standards while 

articulating their innovative approach 

to curriculum.

Establish Equitable Practices for a 

Diverse Student Body

They ensure all students meet academic success and promote positive 

intercultural contact in heterogeneous environments.

Develop a Culture of Empowerment

They cultivate a no-excuses attitude 

that fosters a respect for individual 

capacity, and develops a collective 

sense of efficacy.

Provide Ongoing Professional 

Development

They commit resources to support 

staff in mastering effective instructional strategies and developing 

theme-based curriculum.

Build Leadership Capacity

They create formal and informal 

structures to broaden the school’s 

leadership base.

Adopt a Continuous Improvement 

Model

Successful magnets focus on progress, using data-based decisionmaking to make change and monitor results.

Build Win-Win Partnerships

They develop mutually beneficial relationships with organizations and 

community members to establish a 

broad base of supporters.

Develop Community Outreach

They promote their value by educating the public about the school’s 

mission, achievements, and needs.

Align With a District Vision

They lead school reform efforts, 

incubate best practices, and contribute to the health of the district by 

collaborating with other schools.
6

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

6

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Table 1. Selected Characteristics of Profiled K–8 Magnet School Sitesa

School and Location Year Founded 

as Magnet 

and Host 

District

Theme Grades Enrollmentb Student Population

Ethnicity

English 

Language 

Learners

A.B. Combs 

Leadership Magnet

Elementary School

Raleigh, N.C.

1999 

Wake County

LeadershipK–5 809

80% from 

residential 

zone 

49% White

22% African-American

15% Hispanic

10% Asian

4% Multiracial

13% 

FAIR

(Fine Arts 

Interdisciplinary 

Resource School)

Crystal, Minn.

2000

West Metro 

Education 

Program 

(WMEP)e

Fine Arts 4–8 508c

Interdistrict 

45% of seats 

designated for 

Minneapolis 

students

68% Whitec

23% African-American

5% Asian

3% Hispanic

1% Native American

0%c 

Mabel Hoggard 

Math and Science 

Magnet School

Las Vegas

1993

Clark County

Math 

and 

Science

K–5 412

25% from 

residential 

zone starting 

in grade 1

35% Hispanic

34% African-American

20% White

10% Asian

2% Native American

23% 

Normal Park 

Museum Magnet 

School

Chattanooga, Tenn.

2001

Hamilton 

County

Museum PreK–5 337

55% from 

residential 

zone

73% White

22% African-American

2% Hispanic

1% Asian

1% Native American

N/A 

Raymond Academy 

for Engineering

Houston

1998

Aldine 

Independent 

School District

EngineeringK–4 846

76% from 

residential 

zone

69% Hispanic

18% African-American

8% White

5% Asian

31% 

River Glen 

Elementary & 

Middle School

San Jose, Calif.

1986

San Jose 

Unified School 

District

Spanish 

Dual 

Immersion

K–8 538

no zone

67% Hispanic

29% White

2% African-American

2% Asian

28% 

a

 Unless otherwise indicated, these data are reported by the school and are for the school year 2006–07.

b

 These data are drawn from school report cards for 2006–07 posted on state education agencies’ Web sites.

c

 All profiled schools are dedicated magnets, which means that all students have chosen to attend and all students participate in the magnet program. One exception, Hoggard, is 

a dedicated magnet for grades 1–5, but serves 100 percent neighborhood zone students for kindergarten. Percentages for residential zones indicate the number of seats allotted to 

neighborhood students. Other priorities for selection—sibling attending, socioeconomic status, etc.—may be involved and are not indicated in this table. 

d

 A school may not have received Magnet Schools Assistance program grant funding directly, but may have benefited from services provided by the host district and central magnet 

office that were funded by this program.

e

 FAIR is operated by WMEP, an interdistrict consortium. The school building is located in Crystal, Minn., a suburb served by Robbinsdale Area Schools.
7

Special 

Education

Free or 

ReducedPrice 

Lunch 

Primary 

Challenge(s) 

Addressed

Key Resource(s) 

for Sustainability

Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP)

Funding and Years

School District d

15% 39% Choosing and 

implementing unique 

theme without model

Strong, stable leadership; History of 

district support & 

collaboration

No Yes

1987–89

1993–2004

10%c 18%c Developing interdistrict infrastructure; 

Leadership transitions

Brand-new, awardwinning facility; 

Partnerships for 

professional development

No No

11% 44% Unsuitable facility; 

Developing theme 

expertise among staff

Effective succession 

plans for leadership

Yes

1993–95

Yes

1993–98

2001–07

10% 36% History of low performance, declining 

enrollment; Unsuitable facility

Parent Education 

Fund;

Community 

partnerships; 

District support

Yes

2001–04

Yes

1998–2007

8% 79% Choosing viable 

theme; Developing theme expertise 

among staff

Staff recruitment 

and retention; Collaboration with 

district as part of 

K–12 strand

No Yes

1995–98

2001–04

N/A 52% Evolving strand into 

dedicated magnet 

and expanding to 

6–8 program; Leadership transitions

Community outreach; Success and 

contributions as 

national model

No Yes

1987–89

1991–98

2001–07
8

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

8

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

magnet program; and how each school established systems for sustaining success.

From the beginning, these magnet schools were 

planned and created—or, in the case of Combs, 

re-created—with sustainability in mind. Their 

founders have attended to the practical demands 

of the start-up phase, as well as to the forwardthinking design of supports and infrastructure. 

And following their early years, these schools 

have demonstrated adaptability in the face of 

new challenges. In the text box on p. 5, each column identifies a particular phase in a school’s development and describes, in general, the common 

approaches shared by the featured schools. 

Part I of the guide follows the same outline. 

The guide is based on case study research, 

which involved a visit by researchers to each 

site, interviews with district and school staff, focus groups with members of the school community, and a review of school- and district-related 

documents. Thus, the guide is based, in part, 

on documented information about a school and 

its outcomes, in part, on researcher observation, and, in part, on the perceptions of those 

interviewed, including staff, parents, and students. Because it is not based on experimental 

research that can yield valid causal claims about 

what works, readers should judge for themselves the merits of these practices, based on 

their understanding of why they should work, 

how they fit the local context, and what happens when they actually try them. Also, readers should understand that these descriptions 

do not constitute an endorsement of specific 

practices or products.
9

PAR T I

Lessons From the 

School Sites

Before the Doors Open: Planning

After the Doors Open: Implementing

Keeping the Doors Open: Sustaining Success
10

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Before the Doors Open: Planning 

For district leaders, setting clear goals for magnet programs and defining how they can improve the overall health of the school system 

are crucial first steps for sustaining long-term 

success. According to the experiences of the 

schools featured in this guide, drawing from the 

big picture (e.g., analyzing enrollment patterns, 

achievement, and neighborhood-specific issues) 

can help to determine priorities and important 

design elements for a particular magnet school. 

Once a vision and goals have been established, 

next steps commonly include considering community interests, gauging the commitment of 

key players within the district, and taking stock 

of potential opportunities and resources that 

may influence the planning process. 

In Hamilton County, Tenn., for example, district 

officials were struggling to reverse declining enrollment in Chattanooga’s urban schools at the 

same time they were trying to stop the steady 

exodus of middle- and upper-class families to 

suburban, private, or parochial schools. Strategic planning led to the creation of four downtown work site magnets, including Normal Park 

Museum Magnet. The hope was that with lottery priority given to downtown workers, the 

schools would appeal to suburban commuters 

who would be attracted by the opportunity to 

spend travel time and possibly even workday 

hours with their children at school. Noting that 

the success of the city’s recent revitalization efforts were largely driven by the establishment of 

the new museums and aquarium, district leaders gave Normal Park a museum theme, linking 

the school to widely cherished institutions that 

could boost public outreach and provide access 

to untapped financial and curricular resources.

In Clark County, Nev., magnets also were designed to attract middle-class families to innercity Las Vegas schools. Additionally, they arose 

in response to demands from the African-American community to create elementary schools 

in their neighborhoods. Mabel Hoggard Elementary was originally a sixth-grade center, 

part of the district’s earliest attempt at desegregation that involved busing white children 

into African-American neighborhoods for sixth 

grade while busing African-American children 

into the suburbs for grades 1–5. The conversion of sixth-grade centers into magnet schools, 

like Hoggard Math and Science, was a strategic 

shift to focus on voluntary desegregation and 

the expansion of public school choice. In this 

context, district staff saw magnets as a way to 

maximize the availability of Magnet Schools 

Assistance program (MSAP) funding and Prime 

Six funding (state funds allocated by district 

for desegregation) for the inner city, and community momentum for establishing elementary 

schools in African-American neighborhoods.

In Minnesota, the West Metro Education Program (WMEP), a consortium consisting of one 

urban (Minneapolis) and 10 suburban districts, established a plan for interdistrict magnet schools as a “proactive” measure, drawing 

upon a collective sense of “good will” and a 

commitment to move “ahead of the curve” in 

terms of voluntary desegregation, according to 

WMEP Superintendent Daniel Jett. Anticipating 

that future demographic shifts might result in 

court action mandating desegregation, WMEP

leaders created two schools, including FAIR 

(Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource School), 

with the explicit goal of populating them with 

a diverse mix of students from Minneapolis and 

the surrounding suburbs. Leveraging a culture 
11

buy-in. At the building level, the theme must 

then be integrated into a clear purpose and 

common mission in order to drive the development of a strong academic program. As this 

framework is created, district leaders must ensure that quality staff and supporting infrastructure are in place and capable of executing the 

plan with integrity. 

Develop a Viable Theme and Mission 

If a magnet school is the means, or the vehicle, 

by which a district reaches its goals, the specialized theme of a magnet school is what attracts 

people to get on board in the first place. In 

choosing an attractive theme, research on model programs in other parts of the country may 

help to generate or narrow down options, but 

final decisions should be shaped by an assessment of the local context. 

11

of cooperation and shared interest in diversity, leaders from all member districts saw the 

opportunity to invest in an innovative magnet 

model, locating a school in one host suburban 

district that would have direct benefits for all 

participating systems.

While the specific goals and circumstances for 

starting a magnet program may vary across 

districts, moving from a district vision to developing an individual magnet school always 

requires site-specific strategic planning. Even 

though a magnet school must be designed to 

fit into the district’s master plan—for example, 

goals for reversing declining enrollment or rebuilding a low-performing program—this mandate does not inherently produce the necessary 

blueprints for creating a successful K–8 magnet 

school. Choosing an appealing theme that has 

the potential to attract target families and talented staff appears critical for generating initial 

District-level Support for Magnet Programs

All profiled sites benefit from magnet-specific services that host districts coordinate. While a school’s administrative 

team, including a magnet coordinator, is involved in many of the following processes, district-level staff manage 

these efforts across the system to support start-up efforts and maximize available resources.

In many districts, a centralized magnet office or school choice office handles the planning process for opening new 

magnets as a way to create options for parents within the public school system. 

This guide focuses on sustaining successful magnet programs from the school-level perspective. For more specific 

information about setting up district-level infrastructure to support magnet school programs, refer to the 2004 

Innovations in Education publication, Creating Successful Magnet School Programs, available at http://www.ed. 

gov/admins/comm/choice/magnet/index.html. 

•	 Evaluation and Research

•	 Student Enrollment and Assignment

•	 Facilities

•	 Transportation

•	 Recruitment, Marketing, and Outreach to Families

•	 Staff Recruitment and Hiring

•	 Curriculum Development

•	 Grant Writing (state, local & federal funding)
12

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

12

District leaders may select magnet themes 

based on their existing knowledge of resources 

and interest. Sometimes, available community 

resources are so compelling that they offer an 

obvious local option. For example, Normal 

Park’s proximity to popular institutions like the 

Regional History Museum, the African-American Museum, and Tennessee Aquarium, made 

a museum theme a natural choice. It also paved 

the way for the school to leverage partnerships 

with well-established public institutions already 

focused on outreach and education.

In other cases, the research on community interests and needs drives theme selection so that 

resources are specifically garnered to make it 

work. When federal MSAP funds were awarded 

to Nevada’s Clark County, then-associate superintendent Kay Carl suspected that a mathematics and science theme would be attractive to 

both suburban and urban constituents. The curriculum content implied rigorous academics as 

well as preparation for prestigious careers. The 

theme was also concrete enough to explain to 

the general public. District staff used the appeal 

of the theme to drive Hoggard’s magnet program and sought partnerships with local colleges and science-related institutions to support 

its teacher professional development. 

Starting with the right magnet theme is important because it serves as the primary attraction 

for students and families. In some districts, the 

process of choosing a viable theme requires 

being flexible and adjusting research plans 

based on community feedback. Raymond 

Academy, part of the Aldine system in northeast Houston, was originally conceived to be 

a physical education magnet that would draw 

African-American families to a primarily white 

and Hispanic neighborhood. But when district 

staff conducted a survey, parent responses revealed overwhelming support for mathematics and science programs, fields that would 

provide children with an edge in the local 

oil-driven economy. Aldine staff used this information to launch Raymond Academy as an 

engineering magnet, and they designed it as 

part of a K–12 vertical strand to capture family 

interest throughout a student’s entire career in 

the system.

While a theme is intended to unify diverse 

stakeholders through a common interest, communicating a clear mission can help increase engagement, motivation, and coherence. Diverse 

contexts influence how district leaders choose 

a school’s magnet theme, but the real work lies 

in fashioning a compelling program that clearly 

connects the theme to student success. Developing a school mission that integrates the theme 

with the goal of universal academic achievement can provide staff with the rationale for 

carrying out the school’s approach to educating 

its diverse student population. As one teacher 

noted, “We all know why we’re here.” 

Staff at A.B. Combs believe in their mission 

to develop leaders, one child at a time, says 

principal Muriel Summers. It provides them 

with what she calls the “constancy of purpose” 

needed for translating their leadership and 

character development theme into a cohesive 

program that now boasts 95 percent proficiency 

rates. As noted earlier, prior to its theme conversion, Combs had been an extended-day 

magnet whose reform efforts had resulted in 

rising test scores that earned it national recognition from the U.S. Department of Education’s 

National Blue Ribbon School program. But, as 
13

Summers recalls, there had been no focus on 

the reform efforts, and, she says, the gains in 

student performance merely reflected a series 

of “expensive programs” and “random acts of 

improvement” that she believed would eventually stagnate. Today, Summers reports, the 

Combs community embraces a shared mission 

that drives its leadership magnet theme, providing staff with what she refers to as a “compass” 

for “who we want to be and how we are going 

to get there.” Along the school’s inside walls, a 

diagram details the integration of each component of the school program into its leadership 

model. Next to it, a Core Values chart articulates 

the school’s approach to implementing the mission and vision.

A. B. Combs staff have used a lotus diagram 

(see fig. 1 on p. 14) to chart the school’s core 

values as they relate both to Combs’ mission 

statement and to the seven habits of highly 

effective people.* Serving as the foundation of 

the school’s leadership model, the habits and 

the mission are at the center of the diagram. 

Around the center, or heart, of the lotus, in 

this figure, are excerpted some of the school’s 

value statements.

In some magnet schools, a focused mission naturally emerges from the theme’s original impetus 

and rationale. In San Jose, Calif., teachers dissatisfied with the traditional bilingual program 

came together to help the school district pilot 

an innovative dual immersion magnet program 

at River Glen. Founding principal Rosa Molina 

says she speaks for her staff as well when she 

says, “I truly believe in the ability of children 

to master two languages and that you don’t 

have to lose one language to learn the other.” 

This conviction underlies the school’s creation 

and informs its mission to produce bilingual, 

biliterate students who become comfortable 

with diverse cultures and people as they learn 

to celebrate their own distinctive qualities (see 

fig. 2 on p. 15).

In each of the profiled schools, the mission seems 

to serve as a positive, energizing force that engages a school community. It also provides purpose, 

direction, and clarity to program development. 

Whether stated formally in a handbook or simply 

echoed around the school building with posters 

and exhibits, the mission aims to unify students, 

families, and staff, and it serves as a foundation 

for building a cohesive, academic program. 

Establish a Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum

Curriculum makes a magnet school’s theme 

and mission come alive. It articulates how 

the school will keep its promise to provide 

a compelling program that ensures academic 

success for all students. Planning a successful 

magnet school focuses school staff on leveraging a theme to develop a rich, challenging 

curriculum that can engage students from diverse backgrounds. At all the profiled schools, 

teachers are expected and supported to use 

principles of rigor and relevance to involve 

students in applying knowledge in real-world 

settings.8

 While working backwards from state 

and district standards to develop curriculum, 

they set a bar that goes beyond these minimum 

requirements, demanding that students master 

critical thinking, communication, and life skills 

needed for future success. There is a natural 

link between the problem-solving, exploratory 

* As identified by Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly 

Effective People.
14

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

14

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Figure 1. Statement of Core Values for A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet 

Elementary School (Adapted)

Visionary Leadership

» We believe leadership is a 

choice, not a position.

» We believe in empowering 

through win-win 

agreements.

Valuing Relationships

» We believe in valuing relationships by 

seeking first to understand.

» We believe that valuing and caring for 

each other is the heart of our school 

culture.

» We believe every member of our 

community collaborates with us in our 

quest for excellence.

Citizenship

» We believe in promoting 

good citizenship through 

community involvement.

» We believe in teaching 

children to think globally 

and act locally.

Continuous 

Improvement/ Systems 

Perspective

» We believe in continuous 

improvement for staff and 

students.

» We are committed to 

aligning our system with 

local, state, and national 

standards.

» We believe in the 

importance of renewal or 

“sharpening the saw.”

Core Values and mission

1. Be Proactive

2. Begin With the End in Mind

3. Put First Things First

4. Think Win-Win

5. Seek First to Understand, Then to 

Be Understood

6. Synergize

7. Sharpen the Saw

Mission Statement: To develop leaders, 

one child at a time.

Data-Driven Decision 

Making

» We begin with the end in 

mind in making decisions.

» We believe that all 

decisions should first be 

based on what is best for 

children.

» We believe management 

decisions should be based 

on reliable and relevant 

data.

Learning-Centered 

Education

» We believe in providing 

students with the tools and 

authentic tasks that allow 

them to take responsibility 

for their own learning.

» We believe Wake County 

Public School System’s 

character traits and Covey’s 

7 Habits* are embedded in 

the curriculum.

Agility

» We believe in putting first things first to 

ensure a timely response to internal and 

external stakeholders.

» We believe in having systems and 

resources in place to respond to the 

changing cultural, social, and academic 

needs of children.

Focus on the Future 

and Innovative 

Leadership

» We believe in working 

synergistically to challenge 

the status quo.

» We believe through 

modeling academic 

excellence and personal 

leadership, we will leave a 

legacy for others to follow.

*As identified by Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Source: A. B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School. Used by permission.

The U.S. Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe particular curricula or lesson plans. The information in the figure above was provided by the identified site or program and is 

included here as an illustration of only one of many resources that educators may find helpful and use at their option. The Department cannot ensure its accuracy. Furthermore, the inclusion of information in this figure does not reflect the relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information; nor is it intended to endorse any views, approaches, products, or services mentioned in the figure.

nature of the magnet curriculum and the focus 

on student mastery of high standards. Inquirydriven, project-based learning is fun and engaging, but at these schools it also places a 

premium on serious, rigorous academic development for all students. 

How do these schools infuse curriculum with 

authentic, challenging learning experiences? 

Hoggard teachers expose students to what they 

call “hands-on, minds-on” labs. These projects 

are modeled after the real-world work of mathematicians and scientists. For example, fifth-
15

Figure 2. Goals of River Glen Elementary & Middle School

graders conduct water-testing fieldwork with the 

local water district, dissect sheep eyeballs, and 

apply knowledge of computer programming to 

build robots. Similarly, at Raymond Academy, 

teachers use instructional strategies that require 

students to build their own knowledge through 

concrete engineering experiences. Instead of 

just reading books about designing bridges or 

listening to teachers talk about famous buildings, students are actively creating models.

At Normal Park, weekly expeditions to museums introduce students to field specialists and 

advanced material not traditionally provided to 

young children. A third-grade class engaged in 

a nine-week unit on Tennessee ecology gets to 

do a “fish mapping” project at the local aquarium. In this activity, students observe different 

fish species and follow their movements in 

10-second intervals using colored stickers on 

a cellophane overlay. Back in the classroom, 

students connect the dots on the cellophane 

to identify fish locations and analyze patterns. 

Based on their firsthand observation and data 

collection, students draw conclusions and ask 

questions about why certain fish stay in particular parts of the water. The museum-based 

curriculum provides Normal Park students with 

access to rich learning experiences. Through its 

modules, they are given the opportunity to cultivate levels of understanding about the world 

that a traditional textbook reading could not reproduce (see fig. 3 on p. 17).

In designing rigorous curriculum, these profiled 

magnet schools strive to meet exit standards 

The U.S. Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe particular curricula or 

lesson plans. The information in the figure to the left was provided by the identified site 

or program and is included here as an illustration of only one of many resources that 

educators may find helpful and use at their option. The Department cannot ensure its accuracy. Furthermore, the inclusion of information in this figure does not reflect the relevance, 

timeliness, or completeness of this information; nor is it intended to endorse any views, 

approaches, products, or services mentioned in the figure.

Source: River Glen Elementary & Middle School. Used by permission.
16

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Rigor and Relevance at Raymond Academy: 

What Does It Look Like?

Project-based Learning: Students engage in projects that mirror real-world tasks. Through advanced engineering

labs and teamwork, students learn that different strategies can be used to solve problems like building a paper

bridge to hold a certain amount of weight. Students gain deeper knowledge of subject matter while increasing selfdirection and motivation to learn.

Integrated Engineering Curriculum: Teachers embed engineering concepts in all content areas, including mathematics, language arts, social studies, fine arts, and physical education. Instruction mirrors real-world applications. 

Design Technology: Students engage in a problem-solving process used by engineers. They learn to identify a 

problem; write a design brief; investigate solutions; construct, test, and evaluate a product; and make adjustments.

Students apply skills in real-world contexts involving use of architecture, science labs, and field experiences.

Presentation Station Productions: Students have technology-based opportunities to summarize and verbalize 

what they learn. They use digital cameras, create graphics, and give oral presentations.

beyond the minimum. In addition to pushing for high test scores, staff focus on helping 

students develop higher-order thinking and 

communication skills that will carry over into 

future success in colleges or careers. In these 

classrooms, “elementary” does not translate to 

low-level or rudimentary instruction. In K–1 science labs, Hoggard students learn about the dynamics of force and motion by creating objects 

that spin; related vocabulary, such as “gravity,” 

axis,” and “rotation,” is introduced and will be 

revisited as increasingly sophisticated concepts 

in upper elementary years. 

Creating rigorous and relevant curriculum is an 

intellectually demanding task, profiting from significant attention from school leadership during 

the design period. To establish a curricular framework that integrates the school’s theme and mission with district and state standards, founding 

administrators can benefit from having access to 

current, science-based research in education, as 

well as from having a planning period that allows for thoughtful application of relevant ideas 

to classroom practice. In each of the profiled 

schools, staff leaders had opportunities to work 

closely with experts in relevant fields, participate 

in theme-related training, or visit model sites as 

part of the curriculum design process. 

Ideally, district staff move quickly to identify 

school leaders and then grant them time to research and design the unique curriculum. At Normal Park, MSAP funds were used to provide the 

principal and magnet coordinator with a planning period that included time for researching 

best practices, visiting other museum schools, 

and establishing key partnerships with the city’s 

museums. Other featured schools were converted at the end of the school year, allowing only 

one summer to pull together a new magnet curriculum before doors re-opened to students in 

the fall. In the case of Combs, this challenge was 

minimized by having strong leaders and staff in 
17

place before the conversion. In many instances, these educators already had been exposed 

to district training in principles of management, 

quality performance, and effective leadership—

principles that became the essential components 

of the school’s innovative leadership model.

Certain themes have preexisting philosophies 

or principles that provide clear curricular frameworks for staff to build on. For the founding 

teachers who created River Glen’s dual immersion program, that framework took the form of a 

subgrant made by the California Department of 

Education, which had received a Title VII9

 grant 

from the U.S. Department of Education. Founding staff point to the grant requirements as the 

school’s touchstone for everything from its dual 

immersion model, in which students receive 

some instruction in Spanish and some in English, to effective teaching strategies (gestures, 

Figure 3. Normal Park Museum Magnet School Newsletter Notice: 

Summary of “Worlds of Wonder” Modules

The U.S. Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe particular curricula or 

lesson plans. The information in 

the figure to the left was provided 

by the identified site or program 

and is included here as an illustration of only one of many resources that educators may find 

helpful and use at their option. 

The Department cannot ensure 

its accuracy. Furthermore, the 

inclusion of information in this 

figure does not reflect the relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information; nor is 

it intended to endorse any views, 

approaches, products, or services 

mentioned in the figure.

Source: Normal Park Museum Magnet School. Used by permission.
visual cues, and cooperative learning). River 

Glen’s research-based model for dual immersion education came from Quebec, Canada, 

where both French and English are spoken in 

the classroom. 

Sometimes collaboration with experts provides 

the necessary inspiration and perspective for 

designing rigorous, innovative curriculum. At 

Raymond, founding magnet staff were aided 

by Rice University and University of Texas professors in the development of an engineering 

curriculum. Staff at FAIR, a fine arts school focused on cross-cultural education, conceived 

the school’s theater and dance residency program with help from local artists. They also collaborated with the National Urban Alliance for 

Effective Education, an organization focused 

on teaching, learning, and professional development in schools, to design a curriculum 

that promotes “high intellectual performance 

through students’ culture, language, and cognition.” In all the schools, professional experts 

provided valuable support for teachers to gain 

expertise in theme-related content and skills.

Attract Quality Leaders and Staff

If the featured schools are any indication, magnet schools with a strong curricular theme and 

clear mission naturally attract passionate educators who share a common interest. At the same 

time, district staff must be proactive about selecting principals and magnet coordinators with 

the necessary credibility and knowledge. Strong 

magnet school administrators foster trust within 

a diverse community. Their expertise includes 

implementing specialized curriculum and serving as an effective, motivating instructional 

leader. Having the right school leaders in place 

also attracts a critical mass of high-quality staff, 

which itself serves as a draw for those seeking a 

collaborative and positive work environment.

At River Glen, conversations with teachers reveal that they see the school both as the ideal 

model for a language immersion education program and as an oasis of like-minded, similarly 

driven colleagues. “Everyone has chosen to be 

here,” says one veteran teacher, “and this is like 

the top of the mountain for us.” “Here, you’re at 

the table with the legends,” adds a teacher new 

to River Glen, explaining the professional appeal of working with dual immersion pioneers. 

Across the board, district staff interviewed for 

this guide agree that bringing in quality leaders 

and teachers to implement a magnet school is a 

critical element for success. 

Why would a strong veteran teacher take a 

chance on a fledgling program that has no 

proven track record? Like many founding families at magnet schools, staff report being drawn 

to a strong school administrator, a leader who 

can speak to the visionary promise of a magnet 

school as well as attend to the brass tacks of 

starting a new school. Hoggard’s first magnet 

principal was handpicked by then-associate 

superintendent Kay Carl at a time when Clark 

County was launching Las Vegas’ magnet elementary program, partly in response to the 

needs of the African-American community. Listening to the concerns of local activists, she recruited a well-respected African-American principal, who succeeded in drawing a diverse set 

of families and staff to the new school. Sometimes, a strong reputation as an educator is a 

more influential factor in motivating people to 

follow an instructional leader than a track record as a principal. At River Glen, a cadre of 

18

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 
19

bilingual teachers advocated for a fellow educator to lead the district’s new magnet strand. 

They believed that someone with strong bilingual experience and a deep commitment to the 

innovative model could rally support from likeminded colleagues. Normal Park’s founding 

principal had made her mark as a teacher and 

assistant principal within Hamilton County. Although relatively young, she had a core group 

of colleagues willing to follow her to the new 

museum magnet. She was immediately paired 

with a magnet coordinator, a veteran well 

known for her experience with curriculum development, who had her own following. 

Founding staff of magnet schools also report 

feeling compelled by the chance to be a part 

of a creative and dynamic process. Some speak 

of finding inspiration in forging a new community, designing new curriculum, and developing a new program, even while such tasks 

demand longer workdays and extra responsibilities. Many of them speak of having felt like a 

“square peg in a round hole” in more traditional 

schools. They sought an environment that would 

grant them the autonomy to work in ways more 

aligned with their vision for excellence in teaching and learning. The additional commitments, 

shared among colleagues with the same passion 

and purpose, appear to be viewed as necessary 

and acceptable components for realizing the 

school’s mission and innovative theme.

At some of the featured schools, principals were 

given the autonomy to hire a completely new 

staff that is committed to the specialized curriculum as opposed to inheriting and automatically 

retaining existing staff. As part of a districtwide 

initiative to transform its low-performing 

schools, Normal Park was reconstituted during 

its conversion to a museum magnet, something 

the principal says was critical to changing the 

culture of low expectations that had plagued 

the school in its earlier incarnation. Reconstitution meant that teachers who wanted to stay at 

the school needed to reapply for their position. 

During that period, the principal acknowledged 

to the staff that the new environment was not 

going to be a perfect fit for everyone; she encouraged teachers who had opposed the magnet conversion to find a better match for their 

personal teaching goals and style. At Combs, 

where the adoption of the leadership theme 

happened over the course of only one summer, 

the staff was not reconstituted, but teachers 

essentially self-selected themselves to another 

school the following year if they did not agree 

with the new curriculum requirements. 

With the help of their host districts, the profiled 

magnet schools have found incentives to draw 

leaders and staff to the school. While none of 

the districts offer salary bonuses or stipends for 

the additional hours of work often needed, they 

create appealing professional environments that 

differentiate the school from other sites. Normal 

Park’s principal, mother of a 6-month-old, was 

promised an on-site day care center at the new 

magnet school, an incentive she, in turn, used 

to recruit strong staff who had young children 

as well. Many founding staff report wanting 

to create a school good enough for their own 

children, a personal motivation that gives their 

work additional urgency. In each of the profiled 

sites, a significant number of staff members 

have children who either attend or have attended the school. Hamilton County’s district 

policy guarantees a child’s placement at an employee’s magnet school, for everyone from the 

custodian to the principal. Other districts give 
20

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Maintain the Theme With Integrity

An effective magnet school theme is evident 

throughout the curriculum and as a visible element through the entire building. As one district 

staff member explains, themes that are successfully implemented are those that are easily seen, 

easily understood, and easily articulated. They 

do not leave prospective parents asking such 

questions as: “So can you explain that again? 

What is the theme exactly?” Some schools 

communicate the theme, in part, by physically transforming the school building. The giant 

outdoor sculptures and exhibit-like hallways at 

Normal Park suggest a children’s museum more 

than a school; the zoo-like life science lab and 

planetarium signal what Hoggard staff call their 

“hands-on, minds-on” math and science theme; 

walls of musical instruments, a black box theater, and the ample studio space immediately indicate FAIR’s arts theme. At FAIR, the robust and 

vibrant performing arts theme goes far beyond 

a smattering of arts activities where students are 

simply handed scissors, construction paper, and 

glue. In a media arts lab, seventh-graders work 

independently, editing self-directed films, writing artist’s statements, creating animation video, 

and developing black-and-white prints.

At some schools, cohesiveness of the themed 

curriculum is furthered by something as seemingly simple as the use of common terminology and concepts across content areas and 

grade levels. At Raymond, for example, teachers across the grades speak to their students 

about creativity, design, suppositions, and 

imagination, identifying them as the school’s 

core strands of critical thinking used in scientific problem solving. Throughout the grade 

levels, students are asked to apply these skills 

children of school staff a priority in the lottery. 

Potential collaboration with partner organizations that provide after-school programs, opportunities for additional professional development, and unique classroom experiences also 

can draw teachers looking for innovative model 

schools to join. 

After the Doors Open: Implementing

Where magnet schools are a vehicle for achieving a district goal, early development steps involve determining a direction through a chosen 

theme, mission, and specialized curriculum and 

then pulling together the people needed for 

successful implementation. Then comes the reality of translating mission and vision into practice. During this period, as the program evolves 

and faces its early challenges, it is important 

to build capacity and remain focused. Among 

the questions that can loom large are: How do 

we ensure equitable outcomes for all students 

while committing to innovative curriculum? 

How do we empower all stakeholders to take 

responsibility for our fledgling program?

Some researchers believe that teachers are the 

most important influence on what students 

learn.10 In the successful magnet schools featured here, school leaders moved quickly to 

minimize the impact of start-up issues and 

stayed focused on ensuring the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. Reports from 

the profiled schools reveal that, in each case, 

staff tried to approach major challenges by implementing pragmatic solutions to meet immediate needs without compromising a vision for 

sustaining success. 
21

in age-appropriate curriculum units that build 

on previous years’ lessons. A first-grade teacher 

introduces civil engineering concepts by discussing “wolf-proofing” homes in a read-aloud 

of The Three Little Pigs, while second-graders 

deepen their understanding of structural design 

through a study of historical landmarks that are 

engineering marvels. By fourth grade, students 

are demonstrating Raymond’s core strands of 

critical thinking by drawing proportionately 

scaled homes, building replicas of monuments, 

and designing bridges. By using a common 

framework for teaching math and science and 

aligning their use of core terms and concepts, 

teachers at Raymond have created a cohesive 

and compelling curriculum. 

As a curriculum moves from design to implementation, it often evolves, with staff adapting it 

to community needs and improving it based on 

lessons learned. To integrate a theme across all 

grade levels, some of the profiled schools take 

a “think big, start small” approach, as Normal 

Park’s magnet coordinator calls it. For example, 

whenever possible—whether with a new strand 

(River Glen) or the creation of a brand new 

school building (FAIR)—the profiled schools 

were intentionally stair-stepped: They opened 

their doors with only the earliest grade levels in 

place, gradually adding higher grades in subsequent years. Starting on a smaller scale means 

fewer people share the burden of start-up tasks, 

but it is also an effective way to ensure fidelity 

in the execution of the theme. With fewer families to attract initially, there is less pressure to 

adjust the theme to appeal to a broader public. 

Stair-stepping also means having to find fewer 

numbers of adequately trained staff or interested 

families for the program in the first year.

For example, in 1986, when River Glen offered 

a two-way immersion alongside an English-only 

and transitional bilingual strand at neighboring Washington Elementary School in San Jose, 

magnet coordinator Linda Luporini-Hakmi had 

to interview each parent—English-speaking 

and Spanish-speaking—to explain the different 

program options. The first kindergarten families were painstakingly recruited and educated 

about the benefits of dual immersion. But as 

the magnet strand showed success in developing bilingual and biliterate students, families 

throughout the community took notice. Today, 

River Glen operates as a dedicated magnet 

school serving grades K–8 and is able to recruit 

both teachers and students by word of mouth. 

Piloting and assessing programs on a small scale 

first is one way to increase staff buy-in for a plan 

they ultimately must execute. School leaders 

at Normal Park took this approach when they 

wanted to eliminate their two-week curriculum 

units, which involved museum field trips at a superficial “walk-through” level, and replace them 

with quarter-long modules that would incorporate weekly museum expeditions as an integral 

component. Wanting to try out the idea on a 

small scale before taking it schoolwide, leaders asked teachers to volunteer to develop and 

implement a new module. The second-grade 

teaching team stepped up, collaborating with 

staff at the Tennessee Aquarium to create a 

nine-week oceans module, which subsequently 

generated impressive student engagement and 

quality student work that demonstrated mastery 

of skills. Based on this success, other gradelevel teams reportedly embraced the new curriculum approach with enthusiasm, setting out 

to develop their own modules with the integrity 

needed for whole-school implementation. 
22

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

instruction with additional hours of mathematics and English, these profiled magnet schools 

are providing a rigorous, theme-based curriculum without apology and are making AYP in 

the process. As principal Jill Levine explains, “I 

was determined that we’re not going to be a 

school that obsessed over test scores. ... Our 

model works because the depth and rigor of the 

curriculum transfers over. The kids know how 

to think, and they know how to read, and they 

know how to comprehend. They do well on the 

tests because they’re engaged in learning.” 

Establish Equitable Practices for a Diverse 

Student Body

Merely serving a diverse student population 

does not guarantee positive student interactions. Nor does it ensure equitable achievement 

outcomes. To reach these goals takes deliberate thought, professional expertise, and serious commitment to ensuring that all students 

benefit both academically and socially. Staff in 

these profiled magnet schools appear to accept 

this charge with an awareness of the challenges 

before them and the benefits that can follow, 

guided by a common goal, that all children will 

achieve academic success regardless of race, 

socioeconomic background, or home language. 

Additionally, school leaders report that staff 

take responsibility for creating learning environments in which intercultural contact occurs 

frequently and meaningfully, contributing to 

cognitive development and social attitudes in 

positive ways.

In their commitment to diversity and closing 

the achievement gap, the profiled schools provide rigorous academics to students based on 

their interest, no matter what their background, 

Even with a clear blueprint for an innovative 

curriculum, implementing a quality themebased program over time presents ongoing 

challenges. Research shows that innovations 

often fail because long-standing practices or 

firmly held beliefs about schooling persist and 

are difficult to overturn.11 More recently, districts and states have also faced the challenge 

of meeting annual adequate yearly progress 

(AYP) standards as part of No Child Left Behind 

(NCLB). And however much they diverge from 

traditional, textbook-centered approaches to 

educating students, magnet schools, too, must 

ensure that their innovative curricula comply 

with externally imposed standards, priorities, 

or mandates, whether from the district, state, 

or federal government. These profiled schools 

demonstrate that a skillful, thoughtful, and 

committed staff can meet this challenge with 

success and integrity.

All of these schools revisit their curriculum 

maps yearly to improve alignment with state 

and district standards. In 2005, Raymond staff 

rearranged the four engineering quarters to 

synchronize more closely with the scope and 

sequence for the Aldine Independent School 

District common assessments used across 

the district. By switching the mechanical and 

chemical engineering units, the curriculum is 

now in line with the quarterly testing without 

much compromise in the classroom. Similarly, 

teachers at Normal Park mapped their museumbased curriculum across grade-level strands, 

grouping lessons and units to match state science and social studies standards. 

At a time when it can be tempting for schools 

to respond to the need to raise proficiency rates 

by replacing arts, social studies, and science 
23

previous performance, or prior schooling experience. As Magnet Schools of America founder 

Donald Waldrip explains, “Magnet schools are 

based on the premise that all students do not 

learn in the same ways, and that if we find a 

unifying theme or a different organizational 

structure for students of similar interest, those 

students will learn more in all areas.”12 At Normal Park, where curriculum projects culminate 

with a public exhibition of student work, staff 

report that all children strive to develop strong 

writing skills and master content knowledge to 

create a museum-quality display. “The Exhibit 

Nights provide motivation for students,” says 

principal Levine. “They know there’s a standard 

for their work and there’s an audience. That 

makes a huge difference for kids.” 

Research confirms what many in the business 

community recognize: Diversified learning settings can provide educational benefits for all

participants if they are appropriately cultivated.13 A review of the curriculum at these featured schools reveals that staff see value in engaging students in authentic problem solving 

and introducing them to a wide range of perspectives. The expectation is that as students 

are introduced to diverse and distinct ways of 

seeing the world, they adopt and acquire more 

sophisticated cognitive tools. An evaluation 

of the 1998 MSAP grantees conducted by the 

American Institutes for Research concludes that 

teachers in MSAP schools emphasized higherorder thinking skills more often than their nonMSAP counterparts.14

In the profiled schools, the use of complex instruction—an approach that focuses on development of critical-thinking skills and the use of 

small-group problem solving—helps teachers 

meet the challenge of heterogeneous classrooms. In complex instruction, students are encouraged to see each other as resources, and 

teachers focus on ensuring that each individual 

student makes important intellectual contributions.15 For example, FAIR students learn about 

government and economics in a simulation project called “City,” which requires fourth-grade 

classes to work in teams to hold elections, form 

companies, and sell goods as part of the process of creating a model city. Students can learn 

to handle real-world tasks and see how results 

vary across the different classrooms. As eighthgraders, FAIR students conduct research on a 

cultural conflict of their choice. In addition to 

writing a 10-page report, each student performs 

in the culminating “Finding Your Voice” exhibition that showcases each research project in a 

collaborative arts-based form. Throughout the 

school, curriculum is designed to tap into individual interests and talents and to ensure that 

students are exposed to multiple perspectives. 

Staff at these featured schools try to maximize 

the intercultural contact necessary to generate diverse learning opportunities, designing 

curriculum that relies on cooperative learning 

and peer tutoring. River Glen’s dual immersion 

model depends heavily on using peer support 

to help students with comprehension (via translation) and language acquisition (through social 

interactions). Native-Spanish-speaking students 

model and support English-speaking students in 

developing communication skills in authentic social and academic situations. In later grades, this 

peer support is reciprocated as Spanish speakers 

learn formal English with support from their native-English-speaking peers. At Raymond Academy, lab activities involve explicit instruction 

in the roles and skills in effective cooperative 
to support struggling students, whether or 

not they are identified as having a learning 

disability, being English language learners, or 

anything else. At Raymond Academy, a low 

score or grade automatically mandates an intervention, like after-school tutoring. Many of 

the profiled sites have partnered with community nonprofit organizations, like the YMCA, to 

develop effective after-school programs that 

are closely aligned with classroom instruction; 

or with projects supported by the Department 

of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which provide academic 

enrichment opportunities for students during 

nonschool hours. Teachers may be paid for 

their tutoring services before or after school 

hours, and a coordinator communicates with 

school staff to maximize the tutoring time to 

help with specific skills or assignments.

Given the long distances that some students 

travel to attend FAIR, school staff there provide academic support during the school day 

because travel-time constraints prevent some 

students from attending FAIR’s regular afterschool offerings. In addition to the twice-aweek after-school tutorial sessions offered by 

teachers, FAIR students get targeted intervention during exploratory periods at the end of 

the academic day. Struggling readers at Hoggard get intensive remedial services through 

the Learning Lab, with teachers pulling students 

for the lab during a targeted classroom period. 

This intervention is reportedly proving successful for many below-grade-level readers, with a 

large majority exiting the Learning Lab program 

within three years.

In these schools, students from diverse backgrounds and educational experiences receive 

learning, a teaching strategy in which students 

of different ability levels are grouped together 

to complete assigned tasks. For example, one 

lab facilitator starts each year being very explicit 

about student roles and how to take turns with 

various responsibilities during experiments and 

presentations: One student is designated to record the results; another pours the liquid; and 

a third stirs. With constant reinforcement and 

opportunities to practice effective group work, 

students are given the opportunity to internalize the habits of collaboration. Staff report that 

students learn to value and utilize multiple perspectives to develop better end products and 

support each other’s learning.

In the profiled schools, differentiated instruction 

is a common strategy used to reach students of 

all backgrounds and abilities without funneling 

students into tracks that influence their future access to college preparatory classes. At Raymond 

Academy, classroom teachers use the resource 

specialist and ESL teacher to break students into 

smaller groups and provide more individualized 

instruction. In the heterogeneous classrooms that 

are common to the featured schools, staff focus 

on creating a learning environment intended to 

challenge and support all students to meet high 

standards. At FAIR, as part of whole-school staff 

development, teachers are evaluated against a 

25-point instructional framework that highlights 

best practices for achieving such equitable outcomes (see fig. 4 on p. 25). The list articulates 

common values and behaviors shared by effective educators of diverse populations, and it 

cues administrators to seek evidence of these 

practices when observing classrooms.

This commitment to mixed-ability classrooms 

means there must be academic safety nets 

24

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 
25

West Metro Education Program Instructional Framework

Raise the achievement of all students. 

Eliminate achievement gap and racial predictability in achievement results. 

Relationships and Respect 

How does the teacher create a 

learning community in which 

all students feel accepted and 

supported? 

Meaningful and Relevant 

Learning 

How does the teacher engage all 

students in learning? 

High Expectations and 

Excellence 

How does the teacher maximize 

the academic achievement for all 

students? 

o Affirms cultural similarities and 

differences 

o Respects individual differences

o Builds a personal relationship 

with each student that maximizes 

learning 

o Designs instruction and school 

work so students have opportunities 

to work with others 

o Provides opportunities for school 

work to be shared with persons 

important to the student 

o Creates an environment in which 

students are protected from adverse 

consequences for initial failure 

o Ensures students have access to 

time and other resources needed for 

optimum opportunities for success 

o Maximizes the participation of 

students with diverse learning and 

physical needs

o Chooses content, instructional 

strategies, and materials that are 

significant to the discipline and 

meaningful to students 

o Communicates purpose and 

relevance of content, learning 

experiences, and school work 

o Selects and connects content, 

materials, and school work to 

students’ interests, learning styles, 

and their racial and cultural 

experiences 

o Designs quality school work that 

students value 

o Provides opportunities that cause 

students to assume responsibility 

and become engaged in their 

learning 

o Causes students to analyze 

problems and use critical and 

creative thinking skills 

o Incorporates novelty, variety, and 

choice in instruction and school 

work 

o Differentiates instruction by 

choosing varied content, products, 

and processes

o Aligns instruction to district 

curriculum 

o Sets clear and high expectations, 

including academic integrity, for all 

students 

o Establishes school work 

standards that are clear and 

important to students 

o Organizes instruction to ensure 

students have the skills needed to 

be successful 

o Provides sufficient rehearsal for 

students to gain content mastery 

o Promotes understanding of 

abstract ideas through application 

o Uses appropriate assessment 

strategies to plan and adjust for the 

academic growth for all students 

o Differentiates instruction 

to respond to students’ prior 

knowledge, skills, and levels of 

learning 

o Collaborates with other staff 

members to identify and employ 

best practices for varied learners

Figure 4. West Metro Education Program* Instructional Framework for 

Equitable Practices: Handout Used by FAIR Staff

*West Metro Education Program (WMEP) is an interdistrict consortium of ten suburban school districts and Minneapolis Public Schools. WMEP operates two magnet schools, 

including FAIR. 

Source: FAIR (Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource School). Used by permission.

The U.S. Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe particular curricula or 

lesson plans. The information in 

the figure to the left was provided 

by the identified site or program 

and is included here as an illustration of only one of many resources that educators may find 

helpful and use at their option. 

The Department cannot ensure 

its accuracy. Furthermore, the 

inclusion of information in this 

figure does not reflect the relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information; nor is 

it intended to endorse any views, 

approaches, products, or services 

mentioned in the figure.
26

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

adequate remediation and acceleration support 

to succeed in the inclusive classroom. Staff at 

Hoggard have made a small exception to their 

overall policy of heterogeneous grouping by 

offering advanced math classes at the fourthand fifth-grade levels. Underlying this decision, one staff member explains, is the belief 

that the addition of an honors-type math class 

gives those who take it an advantage in magnet 

middle schools without compromising access 

to rigorous curriculum for the school’s most 

academically needy students. Commenting on 

her belief that all math courses at Hoggard are 

rigorous, one parent puts it this way: “Basically, 

you’re either taking advanced math or advanced 

advanced math.” 

In managing daily operations, magnet school staff 

need to monitor the special demands and needs 

of a diverse student body and consider various approaches for effectively addressing them. 

That may mean, for example, creating a busing 

schedule that enables students to remain on-site 

for after-school activities and tutoring. Or it may 

mean creating a policy that allows students with 

parental permission to go home with a friend on 

Friday, building support for diverse friendships 

to grow across the school community.

By addressing such challenges as they emerge, 

staff at the featured magnet schools have 

demonstrated that equity does not preclude 

excellence. For example, when Normal Park 

staff realized that their project-based curriculum favored students who had access to 

computers, expensive materials, and support 

at home, they created a policy requiring all 

major project displays to be completed by students at school, thus leveling the playing field 

for students. In fact, Normal Park has been 

particularly successful in closing the achievement gap between different socioeconomic 

groups. Between academic years 2003 and 

2007, proficiency rates rose from 64 percent to 

93 percent in reading and 62 percent to 98 percent in math for the subgroup of economically 

disadvantaged students.

Seeking to identify unintentionally inequitable 

practices is an additional challenge in a diverse school. At FAIR, a volunteer staff committee called the Equity Team meets regularly 

to check policies and practices against the goal 

of creating an environment where all students 

feel welcomed and successful. Believing that 

the manner in which the arts are presented influences how students view themselves, each 

other, and their potential for achievement, 

when principal Bennett first served as the 

school’s artistic director, he set out to promote 

a broader, more inclusive understanding of the 

arts and those who contribute to them. To that 

end, Bennett recruited an African-American 

jazz musician, Bruce Henry, to work with the 

school and teach students about the legacy of 

African-American music. Breaking down stereotypes and making multicultural connections 

to art is considered a critical practice for FAIR 

staff, who require all students to demonstrate 

mastery of multiple art forms. The presence of 

the Equity Team ensures ongoing discussion 

about these issues and helps school staff maintain policies that support school goals, such as 

subsidizing the cost of musical instruments for 

students who need financial assistance. 

Develop a Culture of Empowerment

Interviews with teachers in profiled schools 

consistently demonstrated that individual staff 
27

members feel deeply committed and personally responsible for ensuring academic achievement for all students, but at the same time they 

attribute the school’s success to the efforts of 

the whole community. High expectations and a 

no-excuses mind-set are demanded with urgency but without anxiety. Supports and resources, 

rather than threats, are provided to help staff 

meet high standards.

These magnet schools face an array of challenges: the devastating effects of poverty, under-resourced budgets, and children entering 

with below-grade-level skills. But staff appear 

to approach their work with a can-do attitude 

that reflects a deep respect for their students’ 

capabilities and an underlying confidence in 

their own ability, individually and collectively, to educate them well. Combating the same 

forces that create toxic environments of helplessness and hopelessness in some schools—

places where families, students, and neighborhoods are blamed for their own failures and 

deficiencies—these magnet school staff exude 

a sense of efficaciousness. Across the board at 

these schools, staff have a history of working 

together to deal with any obstacle, setting a 

tone that helps motivate students to achieve.

What isn’t said reveals a lot about a school’s culture. In these profiled schools, a visitor gets the 

impression that failure is not considered an option for any student—not for someone with a disability, not for someone who is homeless, not for 

someone who comes to school without speaking 

a word of English. The counselor at Raymond 

says that when a child is not performing well, 

teachers do not cast blame, saying, “It’s not my 

fault, it’s the third-grade teacher’s fault” or “It’s the 

mom and dad’s fault.” At Combs, the principal’s 

message about her staff’s responsibility for student achievement is crystal clear: “We make no 

excuses for children.” These expectations are 

paired with a shared sense of pride in the school’s 

progress toward meeting their mission.

How do leaders imbue their schools with this 

culture of empowerment? At the district level, 

firm adherence to a set of high expectations—

what one superintendent calls “nonnegotiable 

principles”—seems to be paired with autonomy 

or, as he puts it, “giving people a lot of flexibility and ownership in what they do.” This can 

mean granting school staff control of their budgets, curriculum, staffing, and general practices. 

At Normal Park, a previously low-performing 

school, when principal Levine was allowed to 

reconstitute the faculty, she saw it as the key 

to transforming a community with low morale 

and a self-fulfilling prophecy for failure into a 

collaborative team built on the concept of collective efficacy. Reconstituting the staff helped 

to turn around the culture, to focus on teacher 

responsibility for supporting student achievement rather than “sitting around and complaining” about all the factors that make it harder for 

students to learn, she says.

Along with autonomy comes a high performance bar that teachers at these schools appear 

to take seriously and find motivating. Providing 

teachers with professional respect, giving them 

the freedom and time, as FAIR principal Bennett 

says, “to try things they think will work,” often 

translates into greater ownership for the school’s 

collective goals around student achievement. 

Reflecting on the school culture at FAIR, one 

fourth-grade teacher remarks, “Here, the expectation is ‘We are success’ and that ‘You’re going 

to do it, and you’re going to do it well.’”
28

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Some curricula are inherently designed to promote positive school culture, replacing deficit 

models with the premise that all students can 

meet high expectations if you build on their 

existing strengths. As the Combs principal says 

about the school’s leadership model, “The moment we started focusing on what children could 

do, rather than what they struggled with, great 

things began to happen.” Through a process of 

individualized goal setting and data documentation, each student learns to draw on existing talents to overcome obstacles. One boy who had to 

be coaxed to talk one-on-one with people was 

eventually giving speeches to the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. A teacher had discovered his 

gift for memorization and helped him use that 

skill to gain confidence in public speaking.

The dual immersion approach at River Glen is 

driven by the belief that native-Spanish-speaking children are not deficient or “limited English proficient,” as they are designated in many 

school districts, but, in fact, are “English language learners.” Through their practice, these 

educators have shown that knowledge of the 

Spanish language is not an obstacle for their 

students, but, rather, an asset that can help children master two languages and navigate distinct cultures. 

In all of the profiled schools, the school leaders 

see themselves as playing a critical role in promoting and cultivating the culture of efficacy. 

Visits across the sites and interviews with staff 

confirm that these principals lead by example, 

communicating an urgency about the need to 

meet the school’s goals for student achievement without producing the fear or anxiety 

that so often can hinder performance. For example, Combs principal Summers is known to 

challenge staff, reminding them, as one teacher recalls, that “every single child deserves to 

leave every grade level prepared to go on to 

the next grade level, otherwise we have failed 

him.” But rather than seeing Summers as exerting pressure or stress, teachers describe her as 

“motivational” and “inspirational.” 

Provide Ongoing Professional Development 

K–8 magnet school educators face particular challenges related to teaching highly diverse student 

populations and needing to master a specialized 

curriculum. Other pedagogic challenges include 

effective execution of cooperative learning, 

differentiated instruction, and age-appropriate 

units on rigorous subject matter. Doing so successfully demands a high level of expertise and, 

in many cases, ongoing professional development. At all of the featured schools, leaders see 

professional development as a necessary investment for developing a versatile staff steeped in 

relevant theme-based knowledge and in a wide 

range of instructional strategies. The continuing 

efforts to refine curriculum, align it with district standards, raise achievement, and narrow 

achievement gaps calls for regular opportunities 

to share and learn among colleagues. As one 

Combs staff member explains, “Transformation 

doesn’t begin with a program, it begins with a 

change of habit.” And changing habits, according to these school leaders, requires consistent 

support and opportunities for growth.

In all of the profiled schools, professional 

development for teachers is seen as critical to 

improved student learning. One common strand 

of professional learning across these schools 

is their frequent practice of analyzing student 

data—test scores, student work, classroom 
29

observations—as a key means for continually 

monitoring strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in 

classroom instruction. The ongoing data analysis goes beyond reporting end-of-the-year test 

scores. Another common professional development focus is learning and adapting teaching 

strategies for diverse student populations with 

the aim of producing more equitable student 

outcomes. In using research-based best practices that lead to above-average student performance, these magnet schools have much in 

common with other high-achieving schools.16

A third area of professional development concerns curriculum planning, deepening content 

knowledge related to the school’s theme, and 

designing effective units that are integral to it. 

At FAIR, faculty members grapple together with 

both philosophical and practical questions (e.g., 

What does interdisciplinary really mean? What is 

appropriate arts-integration for each grade level?)

as they seek to maintain a unified approach to 

their interdisciplinary, arts-based instruction. In 

these successful magnet schools, their leaders say 

that every teacher is expected to be a curriculum 

developer who has some level of expertise in 

the theme; consequently, signing on as a teacher 

reflects an inherent commitment to spending 

additional hours for unit planning and ongoing 

training, whether it happens during after-school 

meetings, Saturday workshops, or summer institutes. Combs teachers, for example, learn how 

to incorporate business and leadership effectiveness concepts and principles of management 

and quality performance into age-appropriate 

classroom material. Staff devote extra hours to 

training in these areas, training that is intended 

to provide crucial support for implementing the 

school’s unique leadership model. 

Echoing a widespread refrain heard at all the 

profiled sites, one Raymond teacher emphasizes 

that she and her colleagues are always “really

talking about lessons and students.” This level 

of focus does not occur accidentally. School 

leaders play an important role in prioritizing 

time for professional development and meaningful discussion. Principals in these successful magnet schools are extremely protective of 

teachers’ time, reserving it for those activities 

each principal considers to be most relevant to 

instruction and student learning. 

When Jimmie Chapman came on board as Hoggard’s second principal, he used the school accreditation process—a task that requires teachers to collaborate across the curriculum and 

across grade levels—as an authentic way to 

unify staff under a common set of goals and establish a culture of teamwork. He created a new 

master schedule that gave teams opportunities 

to meet during the school day, a practice that 

continues at Hoggard today. 

At the featured schools, collaborative work during the standard school day is frequently supplemented with work during summer sessions, 

winter retreats, early release days, or even fullday planning workshops, with school staff establishing norms and traditions for when they 

will engage in whole-school professional development. Although they are unable to pay staff 

for the additional time commitment related to 

professional learning, the principals at these 

schools clearly recognize the value of professional growth. To a one, they speak of the importance of securing adequate funding to execute an effective professional development 

plan, one that involves more than just a couple 

of stand-alone workshops as may be the case 
30

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

in more standard professional growth programs. 

In these schools, too, professional development 

plans tend to incorporate a mix of strategies for 

supporting staff learning, among them, the practices of individualized coaching, co-teaching, observing model lessons, visiting other classrooms, 

using protocols to reflect on student work, and 

participating on curriculum committees. Magnet 

coordinators, lead teachers, and instructional 

coaches can support professional growth for 

staff, helping to ensure that the staff learning 

process itself is differentiated and that new staff 

knowledge and skills are applied at the classroom level. Magnet coordinators, like Belinda 

Duncan at Hoggard or Joyce Tatum at Normal 

Park, often step in to provide a model lesson for 

a targeted content standard or to help a gradelevel team develop a curriculum, lending key 

resources or expertise. Such efforts—and staff 

positions—can be invaluable in implementing a 

strong professional development program that 

supports both new and veteran staff. 

According to site leaders, the profiled schools 

tend to rely on in-house expertise or districtfunded opportunities for the bulk of professional development activities. But they do 

sometimes supplement them with investments 

in expert consultants if school leaders see the 

need. At Normal Park, for example, the staff 

chose to hire a consultant to help them implement guided reading (i.e., teacher-led, smallgroup instruction of targeted reading strategies) 

training at every grade level, and the principal 

also provided funds to fill classroom libraries 

with appropriately leveled books to execute 

the practice. A reading consultant is a relatively 

expensive approach, but one that, in this case, 

complemented the school’s commitment to differentiated learning and resulted in improved 

reading scores, as well as crossovers into differentiated instruction for spelling and math. 

In Minnesota, West Metro Education Program, 

the district consortium that operates FAIR, provides Cultural Collaborative courses focused on 

equity and closing the achievement gap. FAIR 

staff supplement these with “diversity” training from an education consultant and cognition 

strategies from the National Urban Alliance for 

Effective Education. The portfolio of professional development opportunities provided by 

each profiled school recognizes staff needs and 

prioritizes how practices can be most effectively 

implemented to support student learning.

Build Leadership Capacity 

While much effort can go into finding just the 

right leader to start a magnet school, other such 

factors as retirement, promotion, or life circumstances requiring relocation can change things 

on a dime. With their pioneering spirit and ability to connect a school plan to a district vision, 

magnet school leaders are natural candidates 

for district-level positions. The founding principal at River Glen, for example, now serves as 

associate superintendent. It is not uncommon 

for magnet school teachers to become coordinators, assistant principals, or even founding 

members of new magnets trying to execute the 

same theme. Thus, magnet schools can profit 

from implementing a system of distributed leadership, in which leadership extends beyond the 

administrative offices or traditional titles. Such is 

the case at all of these featured schools; while 

each currently has a strong administrator leader 

at the helm, each has strong teacher leaders as 

well. Cultivating this broader base of empowered staff means that a school’s performance 
31

does not rest solely on either the shoulders of 

a tiny group of upper-level personnel or on 

the presence of one charismatic leader, only to 

flounder when these people leave. 

Today, two of the six featured schools still have 

their founding principal (Normal Park and Combs) 

while the other four have successfully changed 

leaders at least once. Staff report that having distributive models of leadership has been a critical 

component for these successful transitions. 

Ray Swoffard, associate superintendent of Hamilton County, uses the term having a “strong 

bench” to describe the need for ongoing leadership development among staff. At each of the 

school sites, selected classroom teachers receive 

training or experience to ready them for a principalship or other administrative role. There is a 

clear expectation that every faculty member will 

be a decision-maker who serves as an agent of 

change to raise student achievement. There are 

plenty of opportunities to lead a committee, a 

project, or a personal charge. Taking initiative is 

encouraged and expected no matter what role 

one holds at these schools. As one Combs’ belief statement puts it: “Leadership is a choice, 

not a position.”

So, while longevity of tenure and seamless transitions can never be guaranteed, at each of the 

featured magnets, there appears to be a core 

of committed staff who can step up to take the 

reins if needed. For example, at FAIR, administrative leadership transitions were carefully 

supported by the steady presence of a group 

of founding classroom teachers and art instructors. New principals at Hoggard and River Glen 

report that they relied on the leadership of the 

magnet coordinators and key staff to help the 

school maintain its successful programs and 

practices as they moved into their new role. 

Even without a principal succession to manage, a shared leadership model is a pragmatic 

policy, particularly for magnet schools, given 

the additional tasks involved in their implementation (e.g., recruitment, enrollment, public 

relations, creating and improving the facilities, 

developing innovative curriculum). In all the 

profiled schools, the magnet coordinator is reported to play a vital role, which in some cases 

is folded into an assistant principal position that 

manages many aspects of curriculum and program development. Parent liaisons, after-school 

coordinators, and district staff are also key players in managing projects and maintaining critical partnerships with families. In some schools, 

classroom teachers collaborate with grade-level 

team leaders and instructional support teams for 

co-teaching opportunities, handling discipline, 

and developing appropriate student interventions. In this circumstance, the school leader’s 

primary role becomes empowering others by 

“modeling the way through hard work, high 

expectations, and the belief that everyone is 

important,” says principal Summers of Combs. 

With this dynamic in play, schools can develop 

the strong bench from which leaders are homegrown throughout the building.

Take, for example, the number of staff involved 

in leading various programs at Hoggard. A document charts the many roles and responsibilities 

shared among faculty, including their leadership 

in academic life and parent activities (see fig. 5 

on p. 32). The chart details staff roles in the area 

of parental involvement. One Hoggard teacher comments, “You can never complain about 

decisions after they are made because you will 
32

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

32

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Figure 5. Excerpt of Chart Showing Leadership Roles Across Mabel Hoggard 

Math and Science Magnet School Staff

Source: Mabel Hoggard Math and Science Magnet School. Used by permission.

The U.S. Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe particular curricula or lesson plans. The information in the figure above was provided by the identified site or program and is included here as 

an illustration of only one of many resources that educators may find helpful and use at their option. The Department cannot ensure its accuracy. Furthermore, the inclusion of information in this figure does not 

reflect the relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information; nor is it intended to endorse any views, approaches, products, or services mentioned in the figure.
33

have always had a chance to have input.” Staff 

committees are empowered to do research and 

bring in resources to help them make decisions, 

focusing on such areas as the school budget; 

safety and discipline; course work in mathematics, science, and technology; multicultural 

issues; and the library and the media. 

Even with distributed leadership in place, however, a new principal cannot always be found 

within existing staff, and, in that case, a careful transition process needs to be developed. 

Hoggard has a track record of choosing and 

supporting strong leaders, a legacy that helped 

sustain the school’s success even after founder 

Bill Evans retired. Upon finishing their tenures 

as principals, Evans and his successor Jimmie Chapman have remained active in school 

life, serving as mentors for the current leader, 

Celese Rayford. Rayford was carefully selected 

and deliberately brought on in March 2005 before the end of the school year, with the intent 

of allowing time for relationship building and 

giving her early access to the teacher transferand-hiring process in case any staff decided to 

leave (although none did). Not every exiting 

principal can give up income to ease a leadership transition, as Chapman did, but all schools 

can benefit from establishing a well-thoughtout leadership plan. 

Keeping the Doors Open: 

Sustaining Success

Blueprints for programmatic change are rarely 

implemented in a formulaic way. The stakeholders in each of these profiled schools are anchored by a shared mission, but they remain flexible enough to adapt to altered circumstances, 

whether loss of start-up funds, changes in district demographics, turnover of leadership, or 

anything else that might shake up a school. 

The flow of funding for public schools in general can be uncertain, a common threat to 

sustaining innovative reform. Grants run out, 

state budgets can be cut, enrollment trends 

may force district leadership to reorder fiscal 

priorities. Beyond its start-up costs, a successful magnet school requires money for ongoing 

professional development, new theme-based 

materials, and updated technology to remain 

cutting-edge and attractive to constituents.

The experiences of these profiled sites illustrate 

Einstein’s observation that “in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” In the face of adversity, the staff at these schools have developed 

stronger systems, processes, and networks. Sustainability involves more than program maintenance. These schools have staying power 

because of their adaptability and capacity for 

meeting challenges without diluting the integrity of their mission.

Adopt a Continuous Improvement Model

The cautionary adage not to rest on your laurels 

resonates with many magnet school teachers 

and administrators. At these featured schools 

leadership and staff alike appear to anticipate 

change and focus, invariably, on making additional progress. “We’re good, but we could be 

even better,” is a stated mantra at Normal Park. 

Continuous improvement is a process of making change and monitoring results with the 

aim of getting better. In these schools, staff 

are expected to use reflection and data-based 
34

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

decision-making for continuous improvement. Long before NCLB brought attention to 

subgroup performance, Raymond Academy 

established a system for disaggregating data 

to ensure that all students reached proficiency 

and advanced levels. Professional development and leadership team meetings focus on 

analyzing student scores to identify patterns 

or gaps. An assessment specialist and a testing coordinator organize and track data over 

time, so that useful information gets into the 

hands of teachers quickly enough to translate 

into effective intervention. A student below 75 

percent on a report card automatically enters 

an extended-day tutorial program. Grade-level 

teams also can decide to switch a student’s 

class placement or request additional support 

for a teacher struggling with teaching a particular standard. Today, Raymond’s test scores 

indicate almost universal proficiency among all 

subgroups, including Hispanic, low income, 

ESL, and special education, and the numbers 

of students meeting advanced standards are rising (see table 2 on p. 35).

Every week, Normal Park teachers update bar 

graphs indicating the current reading level of 

each child in their class. These charts visually 

convey information on class patterns and individual progress towards grade-level benchmarks. Staff do not wait for an end-of-grade 

test score to tell them a child is struggling academically. They can take action the moment a 

student is not performing. A teacher plans individual reading lessons for each child based 

on the most current assessment, teasing out 

specific words or strategies that need attention. 

The principal scans all the class lists and reading lesson plans every Monday, taking notice of 

students and teachers who need extra support 

from a reading specialist or tutor. This consistent use of reading data is one way that Normal Park staff work toward the goal of having 

all students reading on grade level by the time 

they leave fifth grade. 

At Combs, every school member—teacher and 

student alike—is expected to engage in continuous self-evaluation. Students are expected 

to monitor and document their progress on 

meeting academic and personal goals in data 

notebooks, charting, for example, the number 

of math facts they have mastered. Reflecting on 

what her data notebook teaches her about the 

process of learning, one student says, “I always 

have goals to reach.” 

Each year, staff formally evaluate the principal 

and provide the full administrative team with 

feedback on the school’s leadership. Parents 

interviewed for this guide credit the staff for 

incorporating feedback in meaningful ways and 

not just going through the motions of gathering 

information. Family survey results are quickly 

analyzed and published for the community, 

along with grade-level team responses that 

communicate next steps. In the excerpted survey (see fig. 6 on p. 36), a four-point scale is 

used to rate the school’s performance in several 

areas. A point average for each area is calculated by multiplying the number of parents with 

similar responses (e.g., those who “strongly 

agree”) by the point value it holds (4) and then 

dividing by the total number of respondents. 

At the end of school events, parents complete 

a plus-delta chart to identify pluses (i.e., what 

they liked) and deltas (i.e., what they think 

should be changed); that information, parents 

report, often translates into modifications for 

subsequent family events. “Complacency is not 
35

an option,” explains the principal in reference 

to the school’s model of continuous improvement, which pushes the community to always 

reach for a higher bar.

Build Win-Win Partnerships

Forging strong community partnerships with 

businesses, nonprofits, universities, and city institutions has helped these magnet schools access additional resources to use in addressing 

their critical needs. Developing mutually beneficial relationships with local, well-established 

organizations is one way for schools to drum up 

fiscally creative solutions and establish a more 

diverse and stable base of supporters for public 

education. A distinct feature of each of these 

profiled schools is the reciprocal nature of its relationships with other organizations. Rather than 

simply depending on a spirit of altruism or good 

will, school staff work to generate and maintain 

partnerships by identifying clear benefits for all 

participants involved. Thus, many collaborations 

endure over time, providing low-cost (or even 

no-cost) professional development, technical 

assistance, and new grant opportunities that are 

critical for sustaining magnet school success.

An individual magnet school can help to rebuild a declining neighborhood. Once an 

underenrolled, low-performing school, Normal Park in its new incarnation as a magnet 

has transformed its standing in the community 

and, with its success, has drawn back a number of residents to the surrounding urban area. 

Realtors who had struggled to sell neglected 

properties now proudly advertise houses that 

are “Zoned for Normal Park,” using this designation as a selling point. In 2006, parents collaborated with local architects and corporate 

sponsors to build an intergenerational community park, Discovery Playground, on school 

property. Conceived of as a fully accessible 

playground, the park is another tangible symbol of the school’s contributions to improving 

its immediate neighborhood.

Staff at these schools have tapped the potential of community supporters who are eager to 

collaborate in solving problems or creating new 

Table 2. Reading, Math, and Writing Achievement Data for Raymond 

Academy, by Selected Subgroups, 2006–07 School Year 

Percentage of Third- and Fourth-grade Students Scoring Proficient on TAKS Test*

Selected Subgroups Reading Math Writing

Total 97 99 99

African-American 99 98 99

Hispanic 95 98 99

Economically Disadvantaged 96 99 99

*Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills 

Source: Texas Education Agency School Report Card.
36

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

36

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Parent Survey

As part of our Quality and Baldridge initiatives at Combs, we are continually seeking ways to improve our services 

to our stakeholders. Feedback from you, our stakeholders, is a valuable resource in this process.

400 Responses Collected

Strongly 

Agree (4) Agree (3) Disagree (2)

Strongly 

Disagree (1) Point Total Average

1. My child’s classroom is a safe and comfortable 

place to learn. 302 (1208) 92 (276) 5 (10) 1 1495 3.74

2. My child’s classroom is neat and appealing. 268 (1152) 107 (321) 5 (10) 1483 3.71

3. My child’s classroom teacher sets high expectations 

for my child. 295 (1180) 92 (276) 12 (24) 1 1481 3.70

4. My child is challenged by his/her classroom teacher. 284 (1136) 100 (300) 16 (32) 2 1470 3.68

5. When I have a concern about my child, I can count 

on my child’s teacher. 325 (1300) 68 (204) 6 (12) 1517 3.79

6. I feel welcome in my child’s classroom. 325 (1300) 73 (219) 2 (4) 1523 3.81

7. I feel comfortable visiting or volunteering in my 

child’s classroom. 302 (1208) 89 (267) 4 (8) 1483 3.71

8. My child’s classroom provides opportunities for 

parental involvement. 292 (1168) 103 (309) 4 (8) 1 1486 3.72

9. I am well informed of my child’s progress and 

growth. 283 (1132) 104 (312) 12 (24) 1 1469 3.67

10. My child’s classroom teacher responds to 

concerns in a timely manner. 311 (1244) 81 (243) 7 (14) 1 1502 3.76

11. Discipline matters have been handled effectively. 289 (1156) 104 (312) 5 (10) 2 1480 3.70

I have visited my child’s classroom 168 0-3 times 123 4-8 times 2 more than 8 times

Most of my volunteer time is spent 148 inside the classroom 60 outside the classroom 119 N/A 

A.B. Combs staff analyze the results from the survey and provide comments to address areas of concern. For example, 

the third-grade team’s letter to families included the following response to survey statement #9, which scored low 

across all grade levels.

Sample Teacher Response To Parent Survey

#9. I am well informed of my child’s progress and growth. 

At the beginning of the year, we provided parents with magnetized business cards with the school phone number 

and our individual email address. Currently we send home Friday Folders, Classroom Newsletters, School 

Newsletters, and make ourselves available for conferences. We send home interim progress reports as well as 

quarterly report cards, hold “Celebrate Success” assemblies each quarter and hold one Student Led Conference 

sharing data notebooks each year. We held a Curriculum Night at the beginning of the year and provided an 

information packet detailing the year’s curriculum to all parents. Additionally, a Curriculum Update was added 

(morning and evening sessions) and an information packet was provided to those parents who attended. 

The U.S. Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe particular curricula or lesson plans. The information in the 

figure to the right was provided 

by the identified site or program 

and is included here as an illustration of only one of many resources that educators may find 

helpful and use at their option. 

The Department cannot ensure 

its accuracy. Furthermore, the 

inclusion of information in this 

figure does not reflect the relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information; nor is 

it intended to endorse any views, 

approaches, products, or services 

mentioned in the figure. Source: A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School. Used by permission.

Figure 6. Parent Survey Results With Sample Teacher Response From 

A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School
37

programs. After-school organizations looking to 

become an integral part of a school’s academic 

intervention and enrichment program seek stable 

environments with staff who are willing to coordinate support. For example, the after-school 

program at Combs is now a YMCA program. 

Combs had created the program with a one-year 

grant and now needed someone to take it over. 

The local YMCA was eager to become involved 

at the site, in part, because of Comb’s established 

success and, in part, because the program was 

serving English language learners in particular, 

a group the YMCA also had targeted as needing extra support. Today, the Combs’ Achievers 

is one of the local YMCA’s flagship programs. 

Four of the profiled sites were selected to receive local, state, or federal grants to establish 

an after-school center, in part, because of their 

track records as schools. Along similar lines, each 

of the magnet schools has a history of ongoing partnerships with universities and colleges. 

Those higher education institutions with teacher 

education programs leverage the partnership to 

place their student teachers in high-functioning 

classrooms and collegial environments that mirror the philosophical approaches of the teacher 

preparation course work. In return, the schools 

receive well-trained and well-supported student 

teachers who, in some cases (e.g., River Glen, 

Normal Park, and Raymond), are hired directly 

upon completion of their programs.

Once a magnet school has successfully implemented its program, a principal is in a better position to ask for support. Particularly in the area 

of technology—where public education often 

lags behind the advances used and demanded 

by the workforce—a number of these schools 

have been able to convince businesses to help 

them meet their goals of producing innovative, 

technologically savvy learners. The principals at 

Combs and Normal Park persuaded some local 

companies to purchase interactive whiteboards 

for their classrooms, discovering that people 

were eager to support a program that has demonstrated measurable success. As Normal Park 

principal Levine explains, “I find that when 

people are asked, they want to give to a public 

school, and they want to be a part of something 

great.” In some cases, a magnet school with an 

established reputation does not need even to 

request support. As a well-known magnet committed to fine arts, FAIR benefits from a dynamic 

where by professional arts organizations—even 

those without a youth or education focus—now 

approach the school on their own accord, to 

pursue special projects and grant opportunities 

in collaboration with the school. A school brochure highlights the diversity of arts-based partnerships that make FAIR a compelling choice 

for many families, teachers, and local artists 

(see fig. 7 on p. 38).

Having community partners involved in the initial planning for a magnet school increases the 

likelihood that these associations can be tightened in the future. Attracted by the theme and 

the chance to contribute to a worthy project, 

early investors—whether of time or money—lay 

the groundwork for developing a broad base 

of committed stakeholders who recognize the 

value of public education and their participation in its efforts. In Clark County, an advisory 

committee of local organizations, colleges, universities, and businesses was formed to help 

develop objectives and determine a timeline for 

implementation of Hoggard’s math and science 

theme. The early involvement of these partners 

as advisors enabled the school to further cultivate those relationships in building the program. 
38

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

For example, the local water district in Las ­Vegas 

currently provides all fifth-graders with the opportunity to do water quality testing of Lake 

Mead and vegetation planting in the Las Vegas 

Wash region as part of environmental science. A

long-standing collaboration with the Community 

Bank of ­Nevada has led to the recent development of a schoolwide finance program designed 

to educate students about savings, money management, and economic concepts.

Parents are key resources for jump-starting local 

community involvement. They know firsthand 

what a school provides for their children. In 

addition to contributing thousands of volunteer 

hours (which some of the featured schools 

require) and organizing fund-raising events, 

parents often work alongside staff to develop 

relationships with businesses and nonprofits, 

networking with friends, accessing employer 

resources, and pursuing new grants. Normal 

Park’s Parent Education Fund was established 

by parents to help the school “provide a full 

curriculum, a professional staff, targeted intervention for at-risk students, and an innovative 

and equitable approach to education for all.”17

This fund covers the cost of critical academic 

supports, like the guided reading consultant 

mentioned earlier or the cost of lab supplies. 

At River Glen, parents are part of HABLA, a 

nonprofit advocacy group that also raises funds 

to pay for critical school needs. In addition, 

HABLA members meet to discuss community 

issues, like how to educate the public about 

the benefits of dual immersion. Even at sites 

without a significant neighborhood population, 

in large counties, or at an interdistrict school 

where transportation issues limit the PTA from 

meeting frequently, families are still likely to 

be the most vocal and articulate supporters of 

Figure 7. FAIR (Fine Arts 

Interdisciplinary Resource School) 

Brochure Listing Arts Partnerships

The U.S. Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe particular curricula or lesson plans. The information in the 

figure to the right was provided 

by the identified site or program 

and is included here as an illustration of only one of many resources that educators may find 

helpful and use at their option. 

The Department cannot ensure 

its accuracy. Furthermore, the 

inclusion of information in this 

figure does not reflect the relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information; nor is 

it intended to endorse any views, 

approaches, products, or services 

mentioned in the figure.

Source: FAIR (Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource School). Used by permission.
39

their children’s schools. Through their wordof-mouth advertising and networking, they can 

also help make critical connections with local 

businesses, individual donors, and foundations 

that help secure additional dollars.

Develop Community Outreach

In any community where there is widespread 

disillusionment with public education—justifiably or not—it can be difficult to rally community members to invest time, energy, or resources in schools. But a magnet school with 

a compelling theme, clear mission, and promise of innovation can help recapture community support. It can give people something to 

celebrate while engaging their sense of civic 

responsibility to aid in the school’s ongoing 

efforts. Once the public identifies with the 

school, its mission, and value, a sense of pride 

and good will galvanize people to support its 

efforts and contribute to creative solutions. As 

one parent explains about her neighborhood 

magnet, featured in this guide, “The community is invested in this school.” As a result, she 

says, the community serves as a valuable network and resource when school-related challenges emerge. While magnet school staff must 

first “scream their theme” to recruit families and 

maintain enrollment, ongoing public relations 

becomes an integral component for sustaining 

a healthy, successful magnet school, says one 

administrator. Each year, Raymond staff make 

the public aware of the continued growth and 

success of their students through a flyer that 

highlights awards, activities, and the most recent state test scores (see fig. 8 on p. 40). It 

includes the percentage of students scoring 

proficient for the 2005–06 school year, which 

helped Raymond earn an “exemplary school” 

designation by the Texas Education Agency. A

table in the flyer shows scores by grade level 

and subgroups.

Magnet school staff can promote the value added of having their school in the community by 

making its practices transparent and educating 

the public about its mission and achievements. 

The principal of Normal Park has established 

working relationships with the local media, who 

keep the public informed of upcoming school 

events, like Exhibit Nights, which have grown 

so popular that sometimes over 500 visitors line 

up to view the celebration of student learning. 

These magnet schools also keep their doors 

open to neighborhood organizations as part of 

their outreach. When the NBA All-Star Game and 

Cares program came to Las Vegas, a local council 

member immediately thought of Hoggard. The 

council member knew that Hoggard’s principal 

was always willing to open the school doors after hours to host local events and made a point 

of keeping him updated on school news. With 

the councilman’s help, Hoggard then received 

NBA Cares funds to renovate the school library, 

purchase a set of laptops, and build its sensory 

garden. It also received positive publicity—and 

its students received great pleasure—when basketball stars and media showed up on campus 

to celebrate the library’s renovation.

Principals serve as ambassadors for their magnet schools. Calling TV and newspaper reporters when there is an event, speaking in public 

forums, hosting visitor days, or holding an open 

house for realtors who promote the school to 

potential home buyers are all strategies used 

variously by principals at the featured schools to 

catch the eye of the general public and promote 

the school’s value in the community. Accolades, 
40

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

40

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Figure 8. Raymond Academy for Engineering Promotional and 

Recruitment Flyer

The U.S. Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe particular curricula or lesson plans. The information in the figure above was provided by the identified site or program and is included here as 

an illustration of only one of many resources that educators may find helpful and use at their option. The Department cannot ensure its accuracy. Furthermore, the inclusion of information in this figure does not 

reflect the relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information; nor is it intended to endorse any views, approaches, products, or services mentioned in the figure.

Source: Raymond Academy for Engineering. Used by permission.
41

honors, and praise letters are collected from the 

community to generate positive press, provide 

documentation for grants, and establish continued district support.

In Wake County, district magnet office staff take 

seriously the need to continually educate the 

general public and the school board about magnet schools. Kenneth Branch, senior director of 

the program, explains, “This year has been about 

recommitting our elected leadership to magnet 

programs’ objectives and having people ... affirm 

their belief in and support of those objectives.” 

With elected officials at the head of the school 

system and a wave of new families coming into 

the system each year, there is a continual need to 

educate people about the history and legacy of 

magnet schools as a tool for desegregation and 

improving student achievement. 

Part of the education process involves recasting the ways a community assesses the value 

of a magnet program. Instead of comparing the 

performance of magnet schools to non-magnet 

schools, it may be more relevant to measure the 

effect that magnet schools have on creating a 

healthy district system with a racially diverse student body. This can be done by asking broader 

questions: What would happen to desegregation and achievement results in the absence of 

magnet schools? How does the district compare 

to similar districts without magnet programs? 

According to Wake County superintendent Del 

Burns, the district has one of the highest graduation rates in the nation when compared with the 

country’s largest 50 systems18 and has some of 

the most racially diverse schools in the region.

Align With a District Vision

The most important partnership for sustaining 

a successful magnet school is that with its host 

district. This means that, in the planning phase, 

school developers benefit from creating a clear 

and indispensable role for the magnet school 

to help meet identified district needs. Sustainability in this context involves the need for a 

magnet school to develop without compromising the other schools in the system, now and 

in the future. As Hamilton County’s director of 

urban education puts it, “The district can’t have 

just a few good magnet schools while the rest 

of the schools are going to pot.” Thus, part of 

the definition of a successful magnet school is 

that it contributes to the district’s growth—it 

serves as an incubator of best practices that can 

be used elsewhere in the district, it is a leader 

in school reform, and it is part of a portfolio of 

school choice. 

For fiscal sustainability, a district needs a vision 

and strategic plan in which its magnet school 

program plays an integral role in school improvement and general enrollment management. Without a district commitment to continued funding after an MSAP grant has expired, 

it is difficult for magnet schools and district offices to retain the key personnel needed for 

magnet schools’ continued success. All profiled schools, except for FAIR, have either received MSAP start-up funding or else reside in 

a district that has used this funding to develop 

new magnet programs and solidify district infrastructure, including on-site magnet coordinator positions and central office support for 

enrollment and marketing. A successful pioneer school can prompt the growth of a district 

magnet program. By serving as an example 
42

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

of a successful district school, that first school 

demonstrates district capacity to operate effective schools, thus enabling district staff to take 

advantage of available federal or state funding; 

reciprocally, an individual magnet school can 

be the beneficiary of district-level efforts to secure such grants.

Magnet school educators can serve as innovators who bring about change throughout the 

district. River Glen is a “school that we use to 

train other two-way programs,” says founding 

principal Rosa Molina, explaining the frequent 

visitors who come from all over the district and 

state. In its 20-plus years of existence, River 

Glen has evolved into a national model and 

groundbreaking school reform leader within 

San Jose Unified School District (see fig. 9 on 

p. 43). Former River Glen staff now hold key 

central office positions to support school reform 

efforts on a more systemic level. For example, 

in 2005, former principal Cecelia Barrie was 

asked to lead a new two-way immersion program in another district school.

Each of the sites featured in this guide disseminate their practices to other elementary 

and middle schools in support of district goals. 

Combs, for example, has been a leader in district-level professional development and has 

volunteered to pilot new district programs, like 

a positive behavior management initiative. The 

school’s improvement plan closely mirrors the 

goals of the district and the superintendent’s 

Strategic Directives, which cover school management with a focus on recruiting and training high-quality staff. Combs’ extensive curriculum and orientation binders have been used 

as exemplary models throughout Wake County 

schools for inducting new staff. In the Aldine 

District, magnet schools are part of a systemwide peer review process: Teams of school staff 

visit each other and conduct extensive performance-based reviews. The process also serves 

as a way to share best practices.

As an interdistrict consortium, West Metro Education Program brings together suburban and 

urban systems under the common goal of eliminating the achievement gap, using FAIR as an 

exemplar for success. Known locally as “the best 

game in town” for professional development, 

the consortium serves as a valuable resource 

for teachers seeking to build cultural competence and learn strategies to close the achievement gap. It offers three pathways for professional development: Courses given through the 

Cultural Collaborative, which offers professional development in best practices for meeting 

the needs of a diverse student population and 

promoting cultural understanding; the formation of Equity Teams, developed in partnership 

with the Pacific Educational Group to help such 

schools as FAIR address systemic issues of equity; and workshops and coaching through the 

National Urban Alliance of Effective Education. 

The collaborative serves as a powerful regional 

network for educators committed to equity. It 

supports FAIR staff while also connecting them 

to teachers from other schools. In this relationship, FAIR gets highlighted as a model demonstration school whose influence on improving 

teaching and learning reaches classrooms far 

beyond its own.

Leaders in the featured magnet schools work 

closely with district staff to address issues beyond those faced in the school building. In 

Aldine and Clark County, for example, the 

elementary school magnets are incorporated 
43

Figure 9.“Then and Now” Chart Showing Growth and Change at River Glen 

Elementary & Middle School

River Glen Elementary & Middle School

Then – 1986 Now – 2006

2 Kinder & 1 First Grade

88 Students

K – 8

520 students

Strand within a school Schoolwide Magnet

70% Spanish-speakers

30% English speakers

40% Spanish-speakers

60% English-speakers (primary)

90% Title I 49% Title I

Thematic Teaching using teacher 

made materials

Design curriculum using district 

mandated texts

Grade level planning Grade level and cross-grade level 

articulation

Teacher experts in instructional 

strategies

Schoolwide training by district 

mandates and site-selected topics

Evaluation study (10 years)

English and Spanish assessment

State mandated assessments/

Spanish language assessments

Parents educated with model, 

program advocates

Parent participation in school

Recruitment, time consuming, 

difficult to attract diverse students

Long wait list, program sells itself, 

known programs; district support

PROGRAM COLLABORATION SCHOOLWIDE COLLABORATION

River Glen SJUSD

2006

Source: River Glen Elementary & Middle School. Used by permission.

The U.S. Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe particular curricula or lesson plans. The information in the figure above was provided by the identified site or program and is included 

here as an illustration of only one of many resources that educators may find helpful and use at their option. The Department cannot ensure its accuracy. Furthermore, the inclusion of information in 

this figure does not reflect the relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information; nor is it intended to endorse any views, approaches, products, or services mentioned in the figure.
44

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

44

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Table 3. Various Funding Sources for Profiled Schools and Affiliated 

Partnerships Promoting Sustainability

School Funding Sources Partnerships

A.B. 

Combs

Title I (based on census poverty data)

District funding (magnet programs, assessment, professional 

development)

Various grants (outdoor classroom, technology, etc.)

FranklinCovey company (professional 

development) 

North Carolina State University, College of Engineering (tutoring and mentoring programs)

Marshall Brain’s Web site HowStuffWorks

(science consultant)

YMCA (after-school program)

FAIR State Integration Revenue

District and West Metro Education Program funding (magnet 

programs, assessment, professional development)

Stages Theater (theater residency)

Various local artists and arts organizations 

(arts instruction, programs)

National Urban Alliance for Effective 

Education (literacy)

Hoggard Magnet Schools Assistance Program*

Prime Six (state funds allocated by district for desegregation)

Parents as Learning Supports (PALS) grant (parent involvement in math education)

State Senate Bill 404 grant (math, computer specialists)

National Science Foundation grant (professional development)

District funding (magnet programs, assessment, professional 

development)

NBA Cares Program (2007)

Community Bank of Nevada (economics 

program)

Local water district (classroom instruction)

Scott Foresman publishers (professional 

development)

Normal 

Park

Magnet Schools Assistance Program*

Normal Park Education Fund (professional development and 

staffing)

District funding (magnet facilitator, transportation to museums)

Institute of Museum and Library Sciences grant (museumbased instruction)

Allied Arts grant (artists-in-residence)

Chattem, Inc. (Activboard technology)

Partner museums (professional development, instruction)

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 

(professional development school program)

Community artists and architects (school 

building renovation, playground)

Raymond Title I (based on census poverty data)

Title III (for English language instruction)

District funding (magnet programs, assessment, professional 

development)

Grant from Governor’s Educator Excellence Award Program 

Cooperative After-school Enrichment Partnership Grant (after-school program)

Rice University and University of Texas 

(professional development)

River Glen Title I (based on census poverty data)

Title VII (state grant for bilingual programs)

State block grants (formerly state desegregation funds)

HABLA parent group

San Jose State University (professional 

development and student teachers)

2-Way CABE (professional development, 

start-up assistance)

* Magnet Schools Assistance program (MSAP) grants are federal funds awarded through district magnet programs for new magnet schools’ start-up costs during the first three years 

of planning and implementation.

Note: All legislative titles refer to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
45

into a larger K–12 feeder system that allows students to continue their theme-based course of 

study through high school. This magnet feeder system (which Aldine district staff describe 

as vertical strands for engineering, visual arts, 

and performing arts) creates opportunities for 

theme-based professional development and the 

alignment of standards across grade levels and 

schools. One aim of having districtwide coordination of magnet programs is for students to 

experience smoother transitions as they move 

up through the grades and change schools and 

avoid dipping in terms of performance levels. 

Aldine staff also have collected data that shows 

the K–12 feeders are working to maintain high 

enrollment, retaining families throughout upper 

grade levels. Even if students decide to switch 

themes, once they have experienced choice 

through an elementary magnet, they are likely 

to graduate from the district through one of the 

magnet strands. 

In all of the profiled schools, magnets are 

viewed as a critical component of school choice, 

providing families with multiple options and increasing the likelihood that they will be satisfied with the quality of education their children 

receive. In some districts where a feeder path is 

not currently offered for a magnet theme, school 

staff work closely with the district leadership to 

create viable options and retain families. River 

Glen, originally designed as a K–5 model, was 

expanded to include grades 6 through 8 after 

getting feedback on the difficulties of continuing the dual immersion theme at a separate 

middle school site. At Normal Park, a proposal 

to split and grow the current K–5 model into 

two separate sites (K–3 and 4–8) is being developed. It aims to stem the flight of families from 

the public school system in middle school.

In these ways (e.g., serving as models and incubators of innovative practice, contributing 

to school choice), the profiled magnet schools 

forgo a competitive, elitist approach to school 

improvement and base their continued success 

on supporting a network of high-performing 

schools throughout the district.
46

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 
Part II

Profiles of 

Magnet Schools 

Highlighted 

In Part I

A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School

FAIR (Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource School) 

Mabel Hoggard Math and Science Magnet School

Normal Park Museum Magnet School 

Raymond Academy for Engineering

River Glen Elementary & Middle School 

47
48

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

48
49

Selected Characteristics of Magnet School and Host District a

Magnet School: A.B. Combs Host District: Wake County

Year Established 

as Magnet 

1999 Population Typeb Large City

Theme Leadership Size 832 square miles

Grades K–5 MSAPc

 Funded FY 1987–88; 

1991–97; 2001–06

Enrollment 809 students Enrollment 29,273 magnet 

students out of 

128,070 total

Student Ethnicity 49% White

22% African-American

15% Hispanic

10% Asian

4% Multiracial

Student Ethnicity 

(grades K–5)

52% White

25% African-American

13% Hispanic

5% Asian

5% Multiracial

Special Education 15% Special Education 13%

Free or Reducedprice Lunch39% Free or Reducedprice Lunch32%

English Language 

Learners

13% English Language 

Learners

8%

a

 All data self-reported by school or district for school year 2006–07.

b

 From National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for the school 

year 2005–06, http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch

c

 Magnet Schools Assistance program

A.B. Combs 

Leadership 

Magnet 

Elementary 

School

Raleigh, N.C.

Every morning, students at A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School repeat the 

school’s vision statement: “To live, to love, to 

learn, to leave a legacy.” Combining a commitment to academic excellence with developing character—responsibility, respect, integrity, 

compassion—Combs staff work to help students 

become leaders who strive to do their personal 

best. This dual concept of leadership and character development has helped make Combs an 

award-winning magnet school boasting state 

proficiency rates as high as 95 percent and a 

waiting list in the hundreds.

Located in Raleigh, near North Carolina State 

University, Combs is a county-draw magnet 

that serves and reflects the diversity of the 

Wake County Public School System (WCPSS). 

The school’s focus has proved compelling to 

families of all backgrounds. And its student 

diversity is a selling point: Combs has no 

majority race, enrolling large numbers of African-American, white, Hispanic, Indian, and 

Chinese students, in addition to smaller numbers of Middle Eastern, Korean, and Southeast 

Asian students. For founding principal Muriel 

Summers the appeal is clear: “What served 

Martin Luther King? Mother Theresa? Nelson 

Mandela? It really boiled down to character, 

the core of a person.” 

Founding and Early Challenges 

A perfect storm of events led to Combs’ establishment as a magnet school. Prior to 1999, 

Combs was an extended-day magnet whose success in raising proficiency rates—from 67 percent to 84 percent in a single year—had helped 

the school earn a National Blue Ribbon award 

from the U.S. Department of Education. But the 

school lacked a clear vision for sustaining that 

success. In 1999, an opportunity came in the 
50

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

form of a crisis: The district ordered the school 

to reinvent its theme—which was no longer 

attractive enough to maintain enrollment—or 

forfeit its magnet status. School leaders had a 

week to come up with a unique theme with no 

additional funds for implementation.

Stakeholders from the community—college professors, businesspeople, and parents—offered 

a consistent response when asked what they 

would like to see in a reinvented school. Recalls 

Summers, “It was always, ‘We want our children 

to be caring, hard working, compassionate, 

make good choices, to grow up and give back.’ 

It really was all about character.” By the end of 

the week, the school had its new theme. As the 

first elementary school in the country to focus 

on helping children from all backgrounds become leaders, Combs evolved dramatically from 

an underenrolled, stagnating school at risk of 

losing its magnet status to an exemplary, nationally recognized school. 

Implementing a Successful Program

Daily classroom life incorporates ideas from 

Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective 

People (e.g., being proactive, putting first things 

first, and thinking win-win) as students learn 

to take responsibility for tasks, organize their 

time, and solve group conflicts. Students also 

use the late Secretary of Commerce Malcolm 

Baldrige’s quality performance principles—

including a “Plan, Do, Study, Act” process for 

managing continuous improvement—for databased problem-solving and effective collaboration. The focus is on developing habits so that 

students internalize the strategies and can apply 

these ideas to complex problems and real-life 

situations at school, at home, or later in college 

and on the job.

A central component of the leadership model 

involves setting personal and academic goals. 

Each student is expected to track her or his 

performance in data notebooks and on charts. 

As one student says, “The data notebook helps 

me keep on stride. When I make mistakes, I 

know that I still have goals to reach.” Students 

struggling with the regular curriculum join the 

Combs Achievers, an after-school program that 

targets over 100 students considered to be at 

academic risk. 

The redesign of the Combs magnet theme 

forced staff to think about equity in a different way, which principal Summers calls “a huge 

paradigm shift.” She recalls how the staff initially thought it would be “wonderful” to get 

90 percent of the students scoring at or above 

grade level. “Then,” she says, “we got to 95 percent. There was a pivotal point when we said 

that was no longer acceptable, not until we are 

at 100 percent.”

In selecting new teachers, interviews probe beyond teaching experience to get at what Summers calls “a teacher’s character.” As she explains, “We didn’t hire anybody that we wouldn’t 

want our own children to have as their teacher.” 

An administrative team meets on a regular basis 

to share responsibilities and use the team’s collective expertise to address school needs. “We 

try not to fix things for people,” Summers says. 

“We feel that growth occurs when people come 

up with their own solutions.”

Establishing Systems for Sustainability

The school’s unique focus is designed with the 

future in mind; with an innovative and timeless 

theme, the leadership model is sustainable no 

matter what curricular demands or state mandates come along. Summers has found that 

businesspeople, government officials, and parents of all backgrounds find the mission and 

vision compelling.
51

From the beginning, the business community 

has been involved in shaping the school theme, 

and members of the outside community have 

readily helped with school projects. A diverse 

range of artists, gardeners, and business leaders donate resources and services. The school 

also partners with North Carolina State University’s College of Engineering through a program 

called RAMP-UP (Recognizing Accelerated Mathematics Potential in Underrepresented People). 

Laura Bottomley, a professor at the university 

and a former Combs parent, helped forge the 

collaboration when she began volunteering in 

fifth-grade classrooms as a science lab teacher. 

RAMP-UP places engineering graduate and undergraduate students in Combs classrooms three 

times a week to run hands-on, inquiry-based 

mathematics activities intended to cultivate an 

excitement for learning mathematics.

Combs attracts entrepreneurial parents to support the school. Parent Marshall Brain, the creator of the Web site HowStuffWorks, offers his 

services as a science consultant by filming experiments and posting the video clips on YouTube for students to access and replicate at 

home. Principal Summers promotes communication among families and values their contributions. Every month, she hosts an in-person 

Parent Chat to get input, share information, and 

have an open forum for parent concerns and 

questions. There is a 24-hour return call policy 

for all staff members receiving parent phone 

calls, and all grade-level teams are expected to 

respond promptly to family survey data with a 

letter summarizing the results and outlining next 

steps for improvement.

The goal of 100-percent proficiency energizes 

staff to continuously monitor their progress with 

students and to target interventions. Teachers enter assessment data weekly into eMARC, a Webbased data collection tool supported by WCPSS 

to record student achievement. Disaggregated 

end-of-grade results reflect the school’s progress 

toward closing the achievement gap. This additional district support for creating, scoring, and 

disaggregating frequent assessments is expected 

to provide timely data for teachers who currently devote a large amount of time and resources 

to such assessments.

Combs has garnered positive recognition both 

locally and nationally. In 2003, it was designated 

a National School of Character by the Character 

Education Partnership in Washington, D.C., for 

its program in social, ethical, and academic development. In 2006, Magnet Schools of America 

recognized Combs as the top magnet school 

in the country with its Dr. Ronald P. Simpson 

Distinguished Merit Award. The North Carolina 

Department of Public Instruction has repeatedly 

given Combs a North Carolina School of Excellence Award as part of the state’s accountability 

initiative to improve student achievement and 

reward excellence. And in 2007, the school was 

honored by the National Association of State 

­Title I Directors’ Distinguished School Program 

for narrowing the achievement gap. 
52

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

52

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Sustaining Success at A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet 

Elementary School: Milestones

A.B. Combs staff revamped their extended-day magnet school in the face of declining enrollment. Drawing from 

district resources and input from community stakeholders, they pioneered an innovative leadership model that

continues to receive national and international recognition. 

1999–2000 A.B. Combs staff told to reinvent extended-day magnet with unique theme. No additional funding provided for conversion. 

Principal and assistant principal consult community members and draw upon existing professional development to determine new leadership theme.

Summer training for teachers on Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 

through school district.

Grade-level team leaders pilot use of former Secretary of Commerce Malcolm Baldrige’s quality 

performance principles in classrooms.

School opens in fall as nation’s first elementary leadership school.

2000–01 Partnership with Stephen Covey to get professional development training for all Combs staff.

2001–02 Begins to host Leadership Days to showcase school program to outside visitors.

Staff synthesize Covey and Baldrige principles to structure students’ use of data notebooks that 

chart their academic progress. 

2002–03 Kids’ Club after-school program established. Designed to serve non-English-speaking families 

and students.

2003–04 Funding for Kids’ Club ends. YMCA partnership developed to continue after-school program.

2004–05 Partnership with University of North Carolina for RAMP-UP,* a math and science education program that places engineering graduate and undergraduate students in classrooms as mentors. 

2005–06 Staff provide technical support to develop the leadership theme at three other Wake County 

public schools.

A.B. Combs recognized as the top magnet school by the Magnet Schools of America.

2006–07 A.B. Combs recognized as a National Title I Distinguished School. 

Staff establish an International Leadership Exchange Program with schools in Japan.

* Recognizing Accelerated Mathematics Potential in Underrepresented People
53

FAIR (Fine Arts

Interdisciplinary

Resource 

School)

Crystal, Minn.

Selected Characteristics of Magnet School and Host District a

Magnet School: FAIR Host District: West Metro Education 

Program (includes Minneapolis and 

10 suburbs)b

Year Established 

as Magnet 

2000 Population Type c Interdistrict; Large City 

& Suburbs

Theme Leadership Size 832 square miles

Grades 4–8 MSAPd

 Funded Not applicable

Enrollment 508 students Enrollment 996 magnet students 

out of 996 total

Student Ethnicity 68% White

23% African-American

5% Asian

3% Hispanic

1% Native American 

Student Ethnicity 

(grades K–12)

50% White

42% African-American

4% Asian

3% Hispanic

1% Native American

Special Education 10% Special Education 9%

Free or Reducedprice Lunch18% Free or Reducedprice Lunch33%

English Language 

Learners

0% English Language 

Learners

0%

a All data drawn from State Report Card for school year 2006–07.

b

 Each member district is allotted a proportional amount of seats at FAIR, based on a 

total enrollment figure of the participating WMEP districts. For example, a district with 

10,000 students—10% of the total population of 100,000—would get 10% of the available spots at FAIR, or 56 seats. These seats must be divided evenly across 5 grade levels. 

Minneapolis provides the largest percentage of FAIR students: 45%.

c

 From National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for the school 

year 2005–06, http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch 

d

 Magnet Schools Assistance program

Soon after entering FAIR (Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource School), you can see a range 

of fine arts in action. In one hallway, a group of 

girls rehearses a dance and spoken-word piece, 

while the instructor coaches another team inside 

a studio. Upstairs, seventh-grade students create watercolor images from Greek mythology as 

some of their classmates work at potter’s wheels. 

The school’s approach, says principal Kevin Bennett, does not simply offer “a smattering of arts 

activities,” but emphasizes depth and rigor. 

FAIR is an interdistrict elementary and middle school magnet serving the Minneapolis 

metropolitan area. Housed in a new building 

designed for fine arts instruction, it is operated by West Metro Education Program (WMEP), 

a voluntary consortium of 11 school districts 

formed in 1989 to promote desegregation. Attracting a diverse population through its unique 

curriculum, FAIR emphasizes intercultural learning for its diverse student body. Art, history, politics, and science go hand-in-hand, with teachers and students making connections between 

what’s learned from one class to another.

Founding and Early Challenges 

In 1998, WMEP opened its first school, the K–12 

InterDistrict Downtown School (IDDS) in the 

heart of Minneapolis, intended to attract white 

suburban students into the city. A few years later, due to Minnesota’s desegregation policies, 
54

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

funds became available to create an interdistrict 

magnet school, and FAIR was born in suburban 

Crystal as an arts magnet serving grades 4 to 

8. A new facility was built expressly for FAIR, 

and it includes ample rehearsal, creation, and 

performance space to accommodate the rigorous arts program that produces over 20 public 

performances each school year.

After overcoming some early organizational 

issues, WMEP has refocused its mission to include an explicit goal of increasing equity and 

eliminating the racial achievement gap. And in 

addition to operating two interdistrict magnet 

schools, WMEP manages a Choice Is Yours program that provides low-income families in Minneapolis the opportunity to send their children 

to a participating suburban school. Superintendent Dan Jett sees the WMEP schools as living 

examples of how high expectations and commitment can help educators increase equity and 

reduce achievement gaps. 

Implementing a Successful Program

All of FAIR’s students, regardless of prior experience, participate in the arts and are encouraged 

to take risks and explore new avenues for artistic expression. For example, students in theater class who do not enjoy stage acting can 

find a niche as technicians in charge of set design or lighting. All students get to delve deeply into arts areas that capture their interest as 

they progress through the grades. Fourth- and 

fifth-graders rotate through all six areas of the 

fine arts program, then in the sixth grade select 

four arts for more intensive study. Seventh- and 

eighth-graders choose one year-long and two 

semester-long fine arts courses.

Resident artists from the community provide 

professional-level arts instruction that helps 

students master fine arts standards. Three choirs 

and three bands engage students in sectional 

and full ensemble rehearsals in addition to their 

weekly small groups or individual lessons for 

specific instruments.

To help foster an intercultural learning environment, issues of race, diversity, and equity are intentionally included in the curriculum. Students 

discuss how racial issues affect daily life. By providing opportunities for students to talk about serious social issues, FAIR teachers aim to create an 

environment in which all members of the school 

learn about the intersection of race and achievement. “It helps to talk about racism,” reflects one 

African-American student, “instead of pretending 

it’s not there but still participating in it.” 

Teachers in every classroom are expected to 

tap into multiple learning modalities, drawing upon students’ experiences with visual 

and auditory expression from their art courses. 

Teachers find diverse entry points for students 

to access subject matter. One fifth-grader, for 

example, demonstrates her mastery of the 50 

states by singing a song that helped her memorize them. And a middle school student uses 

a comic book format to show his ability to 

summarize The Odyssey. Allowing students to 

demonstrate their knowledge in various ways 

also helps cultivate an inclusive environment 

in which students are not “pigeon-holed in one 

area and can continue to grow in the areas that 

they are strong in,” one teacher explains. Taking this approach to the next level, beginning 

in the 2007–08 school year, the school will have 

an Individual Learning Plan for every student. 

The plan is modeled after the Individualized 

Education Plan (IEP) that outlines strengths, 

areas of need, and modifications required for 

students in special education. For students 

with academic, social, or emotional concerns, 

the school’s Child Study Team brings classroom teachers together with a social worker, 

school psychologist, and nurse to support the 
55

students. Classroom teachers are paid to provide 

after-school remedial support and homework 

assistance for students performing below grade 

level. Students scoring less than 40 percent on 

standardized tests attend the WMEP-sponsored 

Summer Scholar Institute three hours a day for 

six weeks. At FAIR, principal Bennett focuses 

on developing positive relationships with students and staff, by modeling the behaviors that 

he and FAIR staff want to be an integral part 

of the school culture. He welcomes students 

each morning, exchanging words of greeting 

or jokes as they start their day. During his first 

year at the school, the number of out-of-school 

suspensions—a total of 146, with a disproportionate amount given to African-American male 

students—was a major concern that needed 

to be addressed immediately. “When I hear a 

teacher say a student is being ‘defiant,’ I immediately think there’s a breakdown in communication,” Bennett says. With only 29 suspensions 

in the 2006–07 school year, the school’s culture 

has shifted. “Teachers are reflecting on practice 

and have a willingness to grow, understand, 

and learn,” he says.

Establishing Systems for Sustainability

Principal Bennett works together with the 

school’s director of teaching, Datrica Chukwu, 

to provide ongoing support for teachers through 

classroom observations with feedback. A 25-

point checklist of steps toward achieving equity 

in the school serves as a framework for these 

instructional walk-throughs, helping teachers 

reflect on their classroom practices (see fig. 4 

on p. 25). The framework includes criteria related to student behavior, relevant curricula, 

and strategies for reaching standards. Chukwu 

disaggregates student achievement data and 

works with staff to analyze the information 

by student cohort, achievement gap data, 

areas of growth, and areas of need. She says her 

approach from day one has been to collect data, 

make it useful, and take action to improve it.

To monitor progress, students take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment—Series II (MCAII), which is required by NCLB in reading, mathematics, and writing for grades 3–8. They also 

take a range of interim assessments. Chukwu reorganized the assessment schedule from having 

a major assessment only once every fall to including a spring test (with the option for a third 

assessment in the winter) to maximize the data’s 

usefulness to staff. The assessment data are used 

to identify students struggling with particular 

strands and to help target skill-building needs. 

Data also are used to inform policy changes or 

professional development needs.

FAIR’s strong commitment to the arts enables it 

to attract a wide range of arts organizations to 

serve as community partners, leveraging valuable 

resources and rich experiences for its students. 

Stages Theater serves as the school’s resident 

theater company, providing theater residencies, 

classroom instruction, and theater production 

support unparalleled in traditional public school 

settings (see fig. 7 on p. 39). This collaboration 

has helped develop other relationships with the 

regional arts community. Musician Larry Long, for 

example, engages FAIR students in an intergenerational history and music curriculum, “Elders’ 

Wisdom, Children’s Song,” which brings community mentors into the classroom to inspire a 

student-created song.

The school has seen increased student achievement. FAIR students in every racial, ethnic, and 

socioeconomic subgroup have consistently outperformed students at the district and state level 

in math and reading. Test scores also show a narrowing of the achievement gap between racial and 

ethnic groups within the school. From 2003–05, for 

example, the gap in fifth-grade reading scores fell 

from 30 to 7 percentage points. 
56

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

56

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Sustaining Success at FAIR (Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource 

School): Milestones

As part of a unique interdistrict collaborative, FAIR staff were charged with implementing a strong fine arts

school at the same time as an effective interdistrict infrastructure was being developed. Today, FAIR serves as a

model for executing a vision for integration as well as for closing the achievement gap.

2000–01 West Metro Education Program (WMEP), a voluntary interdistrict consortium, founds its second 

magnet, FAIR. WMEP hires FAIR teachers on loan from member districts to participate in its 

experimental school model.

New building constructed for arts theme with studios, labs, and theaters. Design includes distinct wings and a common teacher workspace for grade-level teams.

FAIR opens with 398 students in grades 4–7 under principal Mamie Merrifield and artistic director Dennis Jewett; grade 8 added the following year.

Partnerships initiated with art organizations, including resident theater group.

2002–03 FAIR begins partnership with National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA) on a literacy 

initiative that has been sustained for five years.

2003–04 Education research consultants conduct an evaluation of FAIR and its impact on student 

achievement and intercultural contact.

2004–05 WMEP becomes a fully operational district and superintendent Dan Jett is hired. One transition 

year given to FAIR teachers, who must resign from their original districts and sign on as WMEP 

employees.

Enrollment peaks at almost 560 students in grades 4–8.

Artistic director Mary Bussman named principal. Kevin Bennett hired as artistic director, and his 

role expanded to include assistant principal.

FAIR honored with a Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Creative Ticket National School of 

Distinction Award.

2005–06 Artistic director Bennett becomes FAIR’s third principal.

FAIR hires nine new teachers due to departures after transition to a WMEP contract.

Staff initiative on student discipline reduces out-of-school suspensions by 40 percent.

FAIR establishes Equity Team to address achievement disparities.

2006–07 WMEP, in conjunction with FAIR, develops its Equity and Anti-Racism Plan to close the achievement gap. State testing data shows FAIR has nearly closed the gap in grades 5–7.

Staff continue to reduce out-of-school suspensions, now down 66 percent from 2004.

WMEP staff evaluate student assignment policies in light of declining interdistrict enrollments: 

some member districts have waiting lists, others have openings; all districts are in period of 

declining enrollment with schools competing for fewer students. 
57

Mabel Hoggard

Math and 

Science

Magnet School

Las Vegas

Selected Characteristics of Magnet School and Host District a

Magnet School: Mabel Hoggard Host District: Clark County

Year Established 

as Magnet 

1993 Population Typeb Large Suburb

Theme Math and Science Size 7,910 square miles

Grades K–5 MSAPc

 Funded Funded: FY 1993–97; 

2001–06

Enrollment 412 students Enrollment 12,370 magnet 

students out of 

291,510 total

Student Ethnicity 35% Hispanic

34% African-American

20% White

10% Asian

2% Native American

Student Ethnicity 

(grades 1–5)

40% Hispanic

14% African-American

37% White

8% Asian

1% Native American

Special Education 11% Special Education 10%

Free or Reducedprice Lunch44% Free or Reducedprice Lunch41%

English Language 

Learners

23% English Language 

Learners

24%

a

 All data self-reported by school or district for school year 2006–07.

b

 From National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for the school 

year 2005–06, http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch 

c

 Magnet Schools Assistance program

In a combined kindergarten and grade 1 science 

lab at Mabel Hoggard Math and Science Magnet 

School, students are abuzz during an activity on 

force, gravity, and rotation. Small teams make 

propellers from paper and straw, then experiment by dropping the propellers to see how 

they work. Some fall straight to the floor; others float and swirl. The teacher helps individual 

students, reminding the class that if the propeller 

doesn’t work to “make a change and see what 

happens,” and later leads a discussion about student observations and theories, making connections to other objects that rotate around an axis. 

Here and throughout the school, children learn 

higher-level mathematics and science concepts 

through hands-on, inquiry-based projects.

Hoggard’s mission is to prepare its diverse student body for life in an increasingly informationbased society by using a rigorous academic program that emphasizes mathematics, science, and 

technology. Students travel from all corners of 

expansive Clark County to attend the school. “We 

are preparing these students to go to college,” a 

fifth-grade teacher observes, “and to take on careers and jobs that may not exist yet.”

Founding and Early Challenges

Converting Hoggard into a K–5 magnet school 

was part of Clark County’s efforts to desegregate its schools. The plan was to serve AfricanAmerican neighborhoods, while also attracting 

affluent, white students to attend the inner-city 

schools. Founding principal Bill Evans had to recruit heavily the first year, convincing students 

in the affluent Green Valley to attend Hoggard 

on the promise of an advanced curriculum and 

additional resources via funding from the federal Magnet Schools Assistance program (MSAP). 

And as the local community saw buses of white, 
58

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

middle class students driving up to Hoggard, they 

became curious about just what was happening 

inside. Today Hoggard is one of the few schools 

in the district that met adequate yearly progress 

(AYP) in 2006 under No Child Left Behind. The 

achievement gap is narrowing, and its third- and 

fifth-graders outperformed their district counterparts on statewide assessments in 2006–07. 

Implementing a Successful Program

Hoggard maintains three science labs and includes live animal habitats and a planetarium. 

Teachers infuse the enhanced mathematics and 

science program into core classroom curricula, 

along with reading, writing, and spelling. The 

goal is to have students master higher-level 

mathematics and science concepts through an 

approach to instruction that is based, as one veteran teacher explains, on “getting kids to love 

and understand” what they are learning.

Typical classroom talk involves finding multiple 

solutions, defending a belief, and asking good 

questions to investigate. In an advanced mathematics class for fifth-graders, for example, a student uses the classroom’s overhead projector to 

demonstrate his method of finding the volume 

of a prism. Complimenting the student’s answer 

as he returns to his seat, the teacher adds, “He 

showed us one way to solve the problem. Can 

anyone else show a different way?” Another student goes to the projector to demonstrate an alternative solution, and soon the class is engaged 

in rich discussion.

Cooperative learning is built into lessons, and 

whether students are dissecting a sheep’s eyeball, testing paper airplanes, or researching the 

discoveries of famous scientists, they are learning to work in groups, share ideas, and apply 

their learning. The curriculum spirals—as students progress through the grade levels, they 

take on more complex tasks in the same topical 

areas introduced in lower grades. For example, 

students in third grade learn about robotics by 

building a basic model robot. In fifth grade, they 

are challenged to use computer programming 

languages to add controls and functions to their 

machines.

Hoggard’s program attracts a wide range of students, including some who are particularly gifted in mathematics and science, some with underdeveloped social skills, and others who have 

struggled in other schools. Given the range of 

academic abilities, backgrounds, and social experiences of Hoggard students, staff must focus 

on meeting the needs of a diverse population.

Conversations with community members reveal 

a deep sense of family at Hoggard. The opportunity for students of all socioeconomic and ethnic 

backgrounds to interact is a selling point for parents, convincing many to make a long commute 

to the school. The inclusive culture appeals to 

teachers, too. One of them remembers walking 

up to the school for her interview and hearing 

Spanish-speaking moms next to English-speaking children: “And the whole campus looked 

like the world, and that felt really right to me.”

The school consistently outperforms the district 

on state assessment proficiency rates for AfricanAmerican and Hispanic subgroups. Staff members say performance is high because they use 

data to drive instruction. In 2005, the only year 

Hoggard did not make AYP, grade-level teams 

used school data to adjust mathematics instruction and create more support for struggling students. They received funding under state Senate 

Bill 404 for mathematics tutorial supplies, and, 

the following year, the percentage of AfricanAmerican students scoring proficient in math 

rose from 26 percent to 53 percent.

Under current principal Celese Rayford’s leadership, 

a culture of professionalism continues as teachers 
59

develop individual expertise and skills to share 

within and across grade levels. As an instructional 

leader, Rayford does frequent walk-throughs—

slipping into classrooms quietly. Her job, she says, 

requires her to stay close to the day-to-day realities. 

All teachers at Hoggard are required to submit their 

lesson plans to her for review and approval and 

to discuss their ideas and plans with her. Rayford’s 

involvement in her teachers’ work lays the groundwork for meaningful teacher evaluations that build 

teacher capacity. Teachers describe feeling both 

empowered and challenged by the principal. 

Establishing Systems for Sustainability

While Hoggard’s leaders have taken pains to ensure smooth successions from one principal to the 

next, the district’s ongoing support has been crucial. In addition to providing Hoggard’s start-up 

funds to become a magnet school, the district pays 

for professional development necessary to raise 

performance. The district has recently broadened 

its vision for magnet schools to include an explicit 

goal of leading students to college. To support this 

goal, the district has combined magnet, career and 

technology, and other empowerment initiatives into 

a single system that gives schools autonomy over 

their budgets and curriculum. The organizational 

structure is intended to help magnet schools collaborate with each other and identify resources they 

uniquely need. A volunteer Partnership Advisory 

Council supports the restructured district, enlisting 

experts, district staff, and community members to 

help with school choice policy issues, themes, and 

implementation challenges.

Evans’ successor, principal Jimmie Chapman, also 

drew in outside resources and partners to provide 

or support professional development for teachers. 

Specifically, he made connections with researchers and expert practitioners in two key programs 

to bring National Science Foundation-sponsored 

professional development through the MASE (Math 

and Science Enhancement) program and updated 

reading training.

Current principal Rayford also believes in reaching 

out to forge relationships with outside groups. In 

particular, she makes an effort to stay connected 

to local council members in order to capitalize on 

opportunities for recognition, partnerships, and 

funding. She lets one councilman use the school 

for events and keeps in touch so that Hoggard is 

on top of his mind when opportunities for schools 

arise. This helped connect the school to the NBA

Cares program during the NBA All-Star Game 

held in Las Vegas in 2007, which brought in over 

$140,000 in funds for the school’s library, computer 

center, and other facilities.

Other outside help comes from scientists and mathematicians who volunteer at the school. In one 

case, a parent volunteer even joined staff. A biologist by training, she became interested in working 

at the school after observing her child’s experiences. She went on to earn her teaching certificate 

and is now teaching second grade at Hoggard. She 

founded the popular life sciences lab, now run by 

her students, which houses a variety of animals in 

their simulated natural environments and provides 

Hoggard with real-world resources to teach biology 

and ecology.

Hoggard’s staff would like to raise even greater 

public awareness of the school and its students by 

participating in more national science and mathematics competitions. Continuing to market and 

promote the school for its mathematics and science 

rigor will help solidify the program and make it 

more likely to receive continued support from the 

community and other partners. Principal Rayford 

says the school’s long-term goal is to continually 

improve the rigor of its curriculum along with aligning with the Nevada state standards, so that test 

scores will stay on the rise.
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Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Sustaining Success at Mabel Hoggard Math and Science Magnet 

School: Milestones

Building on the efforts of founder Bill Evans, Hoggard’s leaders have contributed to the sustained success of the

magnet. Attention to succession planning and leadership transitions have resulted in continuous improvement 

and achievements throughout three principals’ tenures.

1993–99 Hoggard becomes Las Vegas’ first magnet through federal Magnet Schools Assistance program (MSAP) funding and support from Kay Carl, the associate superintendent who recruits 

Bill Evans as principal.

Mathematics and science theme selected. Evans plans with advisory committee and support of local organizations like the local water district. Theme implemented primarily through 

specialized lab period taught by magnet coordinator.

Inner-city neighborhood remains skeptical about magnet conversion. Evans draws students 

from around the county to fill seats.

Jimmie Chapman is recruited as part of succession plan following Evan’s retirement.

1999–2005 Chapman leads staff through accreditation process to strengthen professional learning community. School schedule reorganized to create collaboration time for teachers. Focus on 

cross-grade-level alignment and curriculum mapping. Accreditation completed in 2004.

Hoggard begins renovation construction under local bond measure. Chapman negotiates to 

direct funds to build science labs.

Teachers receive training through a project funded by the National Science Foundation. 

Mathematics and science integrated into general curriculum and special labs.

Chapman retires in March 2005 to bring on Celese Rayford. He plans for an early transition 

so that she can establish credibility and hire new staff if necessary. 

2005–present Professional development used to develop shared practices for math and science instruction. 

Staff work with the district to bring full-day kindergarten to Hoggard.

Rayford secures additional funding through grants. A Parents as Learning Supports grant 

helps fund math education; a Nevada legislative grant funds math tutorial, full-time math 

and computer support positions with passage of Senate Bill 404; and NBA Cares brings 

$140K for library, computer center, and outdoor sensory garden.

Hoggard receives Magnet School of Excellence Award from the Magnet Schools of America.
61

Normal Park 

Museum 

Magnet 

School

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Selected Characteristics of Magnet School and Host District a

Magnet School: Normal Park Host District: Hamilton County

Year Established 

as Magnet 

2001 Population Typeb Large Suburb

Theme Museum Size 542 square miles

Grades K–5 MSAPc

 Funded Funded: FY 1998–

2006

Enrollment 318 students Enrollment 8,570 magnet 

students out of 

40,262 total

Student Ethnicity 73% White

22% African-American

2% Hispanic

1% Asian

1% Native American

Student Ethnicity 

(grades K–12)

62% White

33% African-American

3% Hispanic

1% Asian

>1% Native American

Special Education 10% Special Education 10%

Free or Reducedprice Lunch36% Free or Reducedprice Lunch55%

English Language 

Learners

0% English Language 

Learners

1%

a

 All data drawn from State Report Card for school year 2006–07.

b

 From National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for the school 

year 2005–06, http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch 

c

 Magnet Schools Assistance program

Walking into Normal Park, you may believe 

you’ve entered a children’s museum. In the 

main lobby, a rainforest archway, artist murals, 

and a 300-gallon aquarium provide a colorful, 

multisensory introduction to this K–5 school’s 

museum theme. Multimedia projects—revealing 

students’ knowledge on such topics as the solar 

system and weather—line the hallways. Artwork 

and essays are on display in glass showcases. 

All are tangible reflections of the school’s mission to cultivate students’ lifelong passion for 

learning through a rigorous museum-based curriculum that inspires days of exploration for 

years of discovery.

In 2001, this historic neighborhood school, just 

north of downtown Chattanooga, opened as 

a new magnet hoping to turn around student 

achievement and reverse declining enrollment. 

Normal Park has lived up to its promise. Each 

year since its founding, student scores on the 

state test have increased, now reflecting almost 

universal proficiency as well as steady gains in 

closing the achievement gap, particularly for economically disadvantaged students. Today, the 

school is enrolled at full capacity of over 300 

students, 120 more than in its pre-magnet days, 

with another 300 on the waiting list.

Founding and Early Challenges

In its first year, families were skeptical that adding 

“Museum Magnet” to the school’s name would 

change outcomes for its students. “This school was 

on the state list to be shut down,” recalls founding 

principal Jill Levine, “and this neighborhood had 

totally abandoned the school.” Then funding from 

the federal Magnet Schools Assistance program 

(MSAP) became available to convert low-performing Normal Park into one of four magnet schools 

designed to attract white, suburban parents who 

commuted into the downtown area.

Levine was paired with magnet coordinator, 

Joyce Tatum, and the two new leaders had a 
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Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

six-month planning period to visit different museum-themed schools across the country and research best practices. Tatum helped forge partnerships with Chattanooga’s cultural institutions 

and develop a curriculum framework. Meanwhile, Levine’s biggest challenges included inheriting a staff culture of low expectations and 

defeatist attitudes; chronic student misbehavior; 

and a run-down, 100-year-old facility.

Levine worked hard to recruit educators who 

were passionate about the school’s mission, encouraging unsupportive teachers to move on. 

She also implemented a zero-tolerance policy 

for student misbehavior and did not back down 

when local media criticized her for issuing dozens of suspensions for student fighting. Establishing a safe and orderly environment paralleled the work of creating physical conditions 

conducive to learning. Levine maximized available resources to restore the decrepit building: 

Community volunteers painted every classroom; 

staff wrote grants to obtain funds to refinish the 

floors; district facility and magnet funds paid for 

new lighting; and murals were created by local 

artists for the school’s walls and an exhibit room. 

“All along,” says Levine, “I wanted Normal Park 

to be the school my children go to, a school 

that everybody wants to go to.” Within the year, 

she was sending out press releases and inviting 

the public to see all the changes taking place at 

Normal Park.

Implementing a Successful Program

Normal Park’s academic program is built around 

four cross-curricular modules that incorporate 

weekly class expeditions to partner museums. 

Each quarterly module focuses on a schoolwide 

theme culminating in an Exhibit Night. Teachers 

use a backwards-planning method and work to 

engage students in a system of inquiry aimed 

at fostering intellectual curiosity and real-life 

discovery. One local museum director says that 

whenever his staff notice a particularly inquisitive, thoughtful student, “If we ask what school 

they go to, it’s always Normal Park.”

Grade-level teams work with museum staff to 

plan hands-on learning experiences. During the 

“A Day in the Life” module, for example, students study the city of Chattanooga to answer, 

“What makes people choose a place to live?” 

They learn about services, laws, and civic responsibilities within communities. Visits to the 

Chattanooga Choo-Choo, the Regional History, 

and the African American Museums bring to life 

the history of transportation and social aspects 

of community life. On Exhibit Night, students 

guide visitors through their cardboard cityscape 

of the town, explaining the importance of buildings and services in their created community.

“Our kids do well on the tests because they’re 

engaged in learning,” Levine says. Responsibility 

for this engagement rests squarely on the shoulders of teachers. “There are some children who 

won’t necessarily get the support at home that 

they need to be successful,” Levine reminds her 

staff, “but we can’t just sit around and complain 

about that. It’s our job to provide safety nets 

for them.” Staff require that all student exhibits 

be completed at school, thus ensuring that access to expensive materials, computer time, and 

parent support are not factors limiting a child’s 

ability to produce high-quality projects. “No one 

gives up on the hardest-to-reach child,” one parent observes. “Everyone is valued, and the children and families know that.”

Differentiated instruction meets the needs 

of each student. Teachers use guided reading methods to teach literacy, engaging small 

groups of students in tailored fluency and comprehension activities. A system of leveled texts 

geared to students’ reading abilities and individualized lessons target specific needs so that 
63

students advance to more difficult texts at their 

own pace. Struggling readers receive early intervention to accelerate growth. Based on the 

success of guided reading, teachers employ 

similarly differentiated instruction for mathematics and spelling to help them close the 

achievement gap.

Professional development at Normal Park parallels the school’s approach to teaching: It is 

focused, supported, and differentiated. The administration supports teachers with material resources as well as expert coaching, so that new 

ideas can be realized in the classroom. Teachers 

attend a summer institute in June, collaborate 

with coaches each quarter, and work in small 

teams with a reading consultant who facilitates 

model lessons and peer observations. “In other 

schools,” one teacher notes, “once the bell rings, 

teachers close their doors and that’s it. Here, we 

talk to each other; we work together.” 

Establishing Systems for Sustainability

Since the school’s turnaround, students have 

scored well above district averages, and the 

district has given Normal Park autonomy to innovate as long as test scores remain high. To 

continue to improve teaching and learning, staff 

members look at data from various assessments, 

including standardized test scores and readinglevel scores. Each grade level has end-of-year 

targets for students’ reading performance, for 

example, and weekly reports to the principal 

keep the goals at the forefront. During Exhibit 

Nights, when students show their projects in 

museum-like displays that include artifacts, labels, and student guided tours, teachers check 

for evidence of what they have learned. Feedback from the Exhibit Nights is useful for refining the curriculum each year. Tatum says that 

as soon as she comes home from an event, she 

has several e-mails from staff suggesting, “If we 

would just do this ... it would be better.”

From its beginning, Normal Park has been both 

a model and partner in a healthy network of 

schools within the county striving for continuous improvement. The district facilitates crossschool activities to discuss and exchange best 

practices. While Normal Park maintains its 

unique theme and approach to learning, some 

of its most promising strategies for raising student achievement are used at every other elementary school in the district. 

To meet a financial crisis in 2003, one innovative response was to create the Normal Park 

Education Fund, a board of parents and community leaders that raises funds for the school. 

Currently, the Education Fund pays for a science 

lab, dance and reading consultant positions, and 

for quarterly family literacy nights in support of 

established school needs. As one teacher explains, “The Ed Fund listens to what our needs 

are, then they go out and raise the necessary 

funds to make those things happen.” 

In addition to its museum partnerships, the 

school has forged an alliance with professional 

development programs at the University of Tennessee. Every year Normal Park hosts a professor and graduate students from the university’s 

Teacher Preparation Academy. These teachersin-training work side-by-side with school staff 

and support individualized instruction, in addition to training and recruiting future teachers for 

the district. Similar to the school’s relationships 

with the city’s museums, these partnerships provide staff with much-needed resources—grants, 

materials, professional development—to support teaching and learning activities.
64

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Sustaining Success at Normal Park Museum Magnet School: 

Milestones

Normal Park’s conversion into a museum magnet was part of a turnaround process for an urban school once

plagued by declining enrollment and low test scores. By attracting strong staff, cultivating museum and business partners, and engaging the community at large, Normal Park has proven to be a model for how magnet

schools can play a significant role in districtwide school reform.

2001–02 Normal Park becomes one of four new downtown magnet schools created with a three-year federal 

Magnet Schools Assistance program (MSAP) grant.

New principal and magnet coordinator hired; given six months to plan.

Building renovations create children’s museum atmosphere.

2002–03 Summer professional development (PD) to create vision, mission, and begin curriculum mapping. 

Ongoing PD for literacy training and guided reading.

Code of Conduct and Expectations established for students and staff.

School opens as a museum magnet with learning expeditions and student exhibitions. 

2003–04 Parents establish the Education Fund just as MSAP funding runs out and Normal Park no longer 

qualifies for funding from Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which supports 

schools with large numbers of students from low-income families.

Staff use district planning days for museum collaboration and module development. Student displays 

during Exhibit Night reflect deepened curricular connections and museum-quality presentations.

2004–05 Museum partners receive $500,000 Institute of Museum and Library Sciences grant to enhance 

museum-school connection.

Staff focus on differentiated instruction. Test scores increase dramatically—over 20% in core 

academic areas.

Normal Park recognized as top magnet school by the Magnet Schools of America (MSA).

2005–06 Literacy grant from the Osborne Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga and the 

Warren Family Foundation provides for “academic safety nets” in reading and writing with additional 

reading specialist and quarterly family literacy nights.

PTA gathers widespread community support for playground renovation that serves as an accessible 

community park and outdoor learning environment.

2006–07 Normal Park recognized with an MSA award for third consecutive year.

2007–08 The Board of Education approves a proposal to split and expand Normal Park from a K–5 site into 

two separate sites: a K–3 and a 4–8 school. This would increase the number of students accepted 

at the K–5 level, aiding efforts to maintain diversity as zone base gentrifies, and provide a museum theme track into the middle school grades.
65

Selected Characteristics of Magnet School and Host District a

Magnet School: Raymond Academy Host District: Aldine Independent 

School District

Year Established 

as Magnet 

1998 Population Typeb Large Suburb 

Theme Engineering Size 111 square miles

Grades K–4 MSAPc

 Funded Funded: FY 1995–97; 

2001–03

Enrollment 846 students Enrollment 16,748 magnet 

students out of 

58,831 students

Student Ethnicity 69% Hispanic

18% African-American

8% White

5% Asian

Student Ethnicity 

(grades K–5)

65% Hispanic

30% African-American

4% White

2% Asian

Special Education 8% Special Education 8%

Free or Reducedprice Lunch79% Free or Reducedprice Lunch85%

English Language 

Learners

31% English Language 

Learners

41%

a

 All data self-reported by school or district for school year 2006–07.

b

 From National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for the school 

year 2005–06, http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch 

c

 Magnet Schools Assistance program

Raymond 

Academy for 

Engineering

Houston

requirements, such as adding hills and loops 

for their roller coasters.

Raymond Academy is rated an “Exemplary School” 

by the Texas Education Agency, an impressive 

achievement given the number of economically 

disadvantaged students enrolled. Increasing each 

year, student achievement now surpasses district 

and state performance levels. In most grades and 

subjects, more than 98 percent of the school’s 

students pass the statewide assessments.

Founding and Early Challenges

Like many other magnet schools, the push to open 

Raymond Academy came from court-ordered 

desegregation efforts. The immediate purpose 

was to increase the number of African-American 

students in the then predominately Hispanic 

school. Today, the elementary school more 

accurately mirrors its district’s demographics.

“If you can dream it, you can build it. Everything is engineered—from the ink we’re using 

to the chairs we sit in,” says Terri Clemmons, 

the magnet coordinator and assistant principal 

at Raymond Academy for Engineering. This perspective drives the school’s entire curriculum, 

as teachers use an engineering focus to prepare 

each student for college and beyond.

The theme is evident in every classroom. A

first-grade teacher uses a classic children’s story to explore construction and civil engineering. “All of a sudden, The Three Little Pigs takes 

on a whole new meaning,” says the teacher, 

whose students use Legos to learn the basics 

of creating a “wolf-proof” structure. During the 

mechanical engineering unit, students study 

simple machines and the relationship between 

force and motion through increasingly complex projects. For example, all students learn to 

create simple roller coasters, then in third and 

fourth grade are challenged to meet tougher 
66

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Even before Raymond Academy opened as a 

magnet, Houston families wanted their children 

to acquire skills marketable in the area’s oil and 

gas industries. The school’s engineering theme 

serves that purpose, providing an integrated 

curriculum centered on applied science, mathematics, and technology. To staff the school, 

district leaders employed all their science specialists and brought in outside consultants, including a Rice University professor who had 

implemented a science-themed school for a 

neighboring district.

One early challenge was transforming an old 

building into classrooms and laboratories appropriate to an engineering-focused facility. 

This required exploring different technology 

and lab activity. Raising funds was another major hurdle. Yet another obvious challenge was 

preparing the school’s teachers, trained in elementary education, to become engineering specialists capable of developing and implementing 

a strong mathematics and science curriculum. 

The staff embraced this challenge, particularly 

by taking advantage of district-led professional 

development and Saturday workshops hosted 

by the University of Texas.

Support from Aldine Independent School District was key. District leaders had done their research and realized that an elementary school 

with an engineering theme would stand a better 

chance of thriving if it were part of a complete 

K–12 vertical strand. They began implementing 

a vertical engineering strand by gathering teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools 

together at the central office for discussions. 

Creating this continuity ensured that Raymond 

students would be able to follow their chosen 

course of study through high school within the 

Aldine system. It also has provided a collaborative network of district educators who support 

each other on theme-specific issues.

Implementing a Successful Program

Teachers implement the engineering theme primarily through project- and problem-based instruction. Students are encouraged to explain their 

process for coming up with a solution rather than 

simply computing an answer. This strong emphasis on critical thinking and communicating the 

process is tied to four areas: imagination, creativity, design, and supposition—asking “what if.”

In a third-grade lab, students work in groups 

designing a bridge from cardboard and string to 

create a structure that will hold a number of golf 

balls. At the end of class, each team presents its 

design to the class and answers questions such 

as, “Why did you choose this design?” and “What 

are its particular strengths?” The ultimate assessment begins when students test the strength of 

their bridges by loading on golf balls.

Raymond Academy teachers strive to value each 

student’s contributions and to help them see the 

possibilities in becoming successful engineers. 

During Black History month, for example, in a 

set of lessons about famous African-Americans 

and inventors, the teachers focus not only on 

original inventors but also challenge students to 

document people who later added value to the 

inventions. For example, African-American Alexander Miles did not invent the first elevator, but 

he did patent an electric elevator in 1887. His 

contribution was to create an automatic mechanism that closed access to the shaft so that people 

would not have to remember to close the door 

manually. His improvement resulted in fewer 

accidental falls down elevator shafts. Raymond 

Academy teachers use this and other examples 

to demonstrate how engineers are constantly applying critical thinking skills and engineering expertise to improve original designs.

Cooperative learning techniques encourage 

students to work together and go beyond the 
67

textbook. The lab facilitator starts the year being very direct with students about each of their 

roles and taking turns: “Person number one is 

going to record the results, person number two 

is going to pour the liquid into the beaker,” and 

so on. As the year progresses, students assume 

different roles in the lesson. With constant reinforcement and opportunities to practice good 

group work, students are internalizing habits of 

collaboration.

Ongoing professional development, both on 

and off campus, has been key to Raymond’s 

success. One program called Balanced Literacy 

guides teachers in individualizing instruction 

through observing how each student behaves 

as a learner. Teachers plan and participate in 

summer science academies, practicing lab activities before integrating them into their curriculum. At Rice University and elsewhere, teachers 

gain hands-on approaches for teaching higherlevel problem solving, algebraic thinking, and 

analytical reasoning. Raymond uses a “teach 

the teachers” approach in which attendees 

come back to share learning with the rest of the 

faculty. Teachers then collaboratively work to 

plan engineering-related lessons based on what 

they have learned, aligning those lessons with 

national, state, and local standards.

Staff meetings take place frequently under 

principal Linda Miller’s leadership. A shared 

leadership model permeates the school culture and helps peers hold each other accountable. Learning specialists meet once a week, 

and grade-level teams have at least 50 minutes 

of common planning time daily. In addition, 

the faculty (80–90 staff members in all) gathers 

every other Thursday. Each grade-level team 

builds on its list of needs throughout the year, 

and a leadership committee meets regularly to 

determine how to fund what the teachers need. 

Continuing to align lab activities and classroom 

science instruction to state standards, faculty 

members say, is the key to maintaining the 

engineering theme.

Establishing Systems for Sustainability

Principal Miller has created systems and provided support that encourage all teachers to be data 

driven. She works closely with the school’s magnet coordinator and specialists to get data into 

teachers’ hands in a timely manner. The district 

has helped by providing an online curriculum 

and data management system. The school does 

provide remedial support, but teachers also look 

for areas of weakness in teaching, then work to 

improve instruction through professional development and coaching from their team.

As a result of a district partnership grant, Raymond’s after-school hallways are buzzing with 

activity. For example, AmeriCorps volunteers 

lead students through a science experiment, 

dance classes start in the cafeteria, and tutoring 

takes place in several classrooms. Students in 

the after-school program also can work with local architects and volunteers from NASA. 

Both teachers and parents say they experience a 

real sense of family at Raymond. During at least 

two family nights per month, teachers conduct 

engineering lessons for parents and students to 

use at home. Parents also can take courses on 

English as a second language through Raymond 

Academy’s after-school program. Parents receive 

progress reports from each teacher every three 

weeks, and they have access to ParentCONNECT, 

which provides online access to lesson summaries and homework throughout the district.

To date, the school has shown tremendous student achievement results and has closed the 

achievement gap. “There is no reason our kids 

can’t leave here performing three or four grade 

levels above [their current levels],” principal 

Miller says.
68

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

68

Sustaining Success at Raymond Academy for Engineering: 

Milestones

Raymond Academy was carefully designed to meet desegregation goals. The theme was chosen based on community feedback and developed as part of a districtwide K–12 vertical strand for engineering. Raymond has

sustained its success by “homegrowing” leaders, continually refining its curriculum, and integrating technology 

in the classroom.

1996–97 Raymond selected as magnet site to attract African-American students to the predominantly Hispanic 

school. Aldine staff survey families to determine theme.

Raymond Academy is converted into an engineering magnet elementary school as part of a K–12 

vertical strand. District commits to funding a full-time science specialist at each of the seven participating 

schools.

Curriculum planning and start-up support coordinated by district staff. Raymond faculty attend Saturday 

workshops at the University of Texas.

1998 Raymond begins first year as engineering magnet with existing principal David Brenek in place.

Staff meet more frequently to address the challenge of learning engineering curriculum. Pilot inclusion 

model for special education students.

1999 Brenek leaves and Jennifer Marcoux is selected as new principal for her magnet school leadership experience.

Staff align curriculum with standards and across grade levels. School is renovated to showcase its engineering theme more vividly.

2001 Linda Miller becomes principal when Marcoux accepts principal position in another district. Miller has 

worked with engineering magnets, including Raymond, in her role as director of math.

Miller introduces motto to focus staff on common priorities tied to the mission.

Harris County Department of Education funds Cooperative for After-school Enrichment (CASE) at Raymond 

through a U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant. Program includes after-school tutorial for struggling students and enrichment activities.

2002 Aldine is declared a unitary status district, releasing it from a court-ordered desegregation plan. Random 

lottery process for student enrollment adopted. Staff target recruitment at African-American schools and 

neighborhoods to maintain integrated student body at Raymond.

2003 Students learn to use media technologies, such as video cameras and PowerPoint slide shows as part of 

lab curriculum.

2005 Staff reorganize curricular scope and sequence to align with state science assessments. Test scores improve.

2006 After-school program at Raymond is chosen as AmeriCorps project site.

Raymond wins third Magnet Schools of America excellence award.

Bilingual program added to serve increasing English language learner population.

2007 Two staff are “homegrown” into leadership positions: assistant principal and director of intervention and 

community relations.

Raymond awarded Title I Distinguished Performance Award (a program instituted under the No Child Left 

Behind Act of 2001).
69

River Glen 

Elementary & 

Middle School

San Jose, Calif.

Selected Characteristics of Magnet School and Host District a

Magnet School: River Glen Elementary & 

Middle School

Host District: San Jose Unified 

School District

Year Established 

as Magnet 

1986 Population Typeb Central City

Theme Spanish Dual 

Immersion

Size 72 square miles

Grades K–8 MSAPc

 Funded Funded: FY 1987–88; 

1991–97; 2001–06

Enrollment 538 students Enrollment 11,406 magnet 

students out of 

31,032 total

Student Ethnicity 67% Hispanic

29% White

2% African-American

2% Asian

Student Ethnicity 

(grades K–12)

51% Hispanic

28% White

4% African-American

13% Asian

Special Education 0% Special Education 11%

Free or Reducedprice Lunch52% Free or Reducedprice Lunch46%

English Language 

Learners

28% English Language 

Learners

26%

a

 All data self-reported by school or district for school year 2006–07.

b

 From National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for the school 

year 2005–06, http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch 

c

 Magnet Schools Assistance program

At River Glen Elementary & Middle School, halls 

and classrooms resonate with a lively but unusual sound mix: young voices speaking both 

Spanish and English. Even on the playground, 

neither language dominates the other. Hallway 

posters for school events are in both Spanish 

and English. In a third-grade classroom where 

students are giving presentations about their heroes, a native-English-speaking student, dressed 

in full baseball uniform, speaks about Jackie 

Robinson in fluent Spanish, fielding questions 

from his classmates—also in Spanish.

The school’s mission is to prepare students for 

a future in a global society through a two-way 

immersion program that produces bilingual, 

biliterate students who appreciate different cultures and communities. All River Glen students 

learn a second language without compromising 

their first—equal value is placed on both. The 

unique curriculum requires continuity through 

the grades, so River Glen parents are asked for 

a five-year commitment to the school.

Today, after celebrating 20 years as one of the 

district’s first magnets, the school’s dual immersion philosophy—instilling in all students the 

value of speaking more than one language and 

honoring each other—is increasingly popular and 

River Glen’s waiting list is lengthy. “It’s a chosen 

community,” one teacher observes. “Everybody 

gravitated together out of a common vision.”

Founding and Early Challenges

River Glen began in 1986 as a strand-withina-school program to recruit white, African-

­American, and Asian families into a local elementary school that was over 90 percent 

Hispanic. Starting with just three classes—two 

kindergarten and one first-grade—the program 

gradually expanded, growing so popular that 

within six years it had developed into a dedicated elementary magnet school at its current 

facility, and within 12 years, it spanned K–8.
70

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

San Jose is diverse but ethnically segregated. 

When state law required the city to replace older school buildings with new earthquake-proof 

retrofitted facilities, local Hispanic families, 

fearing that replacing schools in their original 

locations would maintain segregation, filed a 

desegregation lawsuit, causing the district to rethink its enrollment process. River Glen was one 

of the first magnets created as a result. Nestled 

along the border of both a middle-class white 

community and a working-class Hispanic neighborhood, its new location is ideal for recruiting 

a mix of native English and Spanish speakers.

Implementing a Successful Program

River Glen’s commitment to dual immersion is 

evident in every classroom. In one kindergarten 

class, students are actively learning at multiple 

centers. When a student asks the teacher in English, “Do you have a pencil?” the teacher repeats 

the student’s question in Spanish and answers 

it as well, never once using English. While all 

activities and instruction in this classroom are in 

Spanish, students are encouraged to talk informally and help one another in English. In this 

way, all students learn formal Spanish language 

and conversational English.

In their first year at River Glen, students receive most instruction in Spanish and a small 

amount in English. Those proportions shift each 

subsequent year so that by the fifth grade, half 

the instruction is in English and half in Spanish. Instructional delivery is monolingual at all 

times—teachers never use translations for comprehension. And in early grades, children switch 

teachers for different language instruction, so 

the students don’t even realize that their primary 

teacher knows how to speak English.

Students are expected to learn to read and write 

fluently in both languages and are required to 

pass rigorous standardized tests in English as 

well as in Spanish. River Glen’s rigor and capable staff have helped students achieve at high 

levels on such tests and, on average, outperform 

the district. 

“A fundamental principle of the dual immersion 

model,” one teacher explains, “is that teachers 

must build on what kids already know.” Teachers employ a variety of strategies to tailor their 

instruction to the needs of students, using facial 

expressions and body language to clarify a 

point. Student groups are linguistically mixed in 

River Glen’s classrooms. The teacher speaks to 

students in one of the two languages and often 

uses small-group instruction in order to pull out 

a few children at a time for personalized reading 

instruction. In addition, each grade-level team 

has developed yearly curriculum outlines that 

assist with student instruction and cross-gradelevel articulation. 

Professional development is critical to sustaining 

River Glen’s theme. While many staff members 

have had extensive backgrounds in bilingual 

education, they need to develop a very specific 

set of skills to implement a language immersion 

education program. In-house and preservice 

trainings help staff learn to team-teach, presenting the same lessons as their counterparts. 

Teachers must be innovative, using nonverbal 

forms of communication to explain challenging 

concepts. Each Tuesday, early dismissal of students gives staff the second half of the day to 

meet in grade-level teams and plan lessons. 

Establishing Systems for Sustainability

While River Glen has a proven record of academic success established by early principals 

Rosa Molina and Cecilia Barrie, the current 

principal Mildred Colon-Arellano and her staff 

are focused on continuing to improve dual 
71

language mastery, closing the achievement 

gap, increasing the rigor of professional development, and meeting requirements of the No 

Child Left Behind Act of 2001. While student 

subgroups are performing at the same level or 

exceeding their counterparts throughout the 

district, an achievement gap between white and 

Hispanic students persists. To address this, staff 

analyze benchmark assessments from the previous year to help identify areas of need and then 

make adjustments across the curriculum. Teachers assess and then revise their lesson plans to 

teach for student mastery.

Along with ongoing support from the district, 

several key community partnerships have contributed to River Glen’s success. An affiliate of 

the California Association for Bilingual Education, 2-Way CABE, helps staff plan and implement two-way immersion programs. Through 

this partnership, River Glen staff members receive professional development and curriculum 

training and often are asked to help mentor 

other school leaders who want to put a similar 

program in place. An important resource for instructional assistance, San Jose State University 

(SJSU) sends its student teachers to River Glen, 

with many eventually joining the teaching staff. 

SJSU professors showcase the school as a realworld model of a successful two-way language 

immersion program, and in exchange provide 

River Glen staff with teacher resources related 

to the program model.

Even local businesses have helped with the program’s outreach to create awareness about the 

benefits of dual immersion. Partnerships in the 

past have included Hewlett-Packard, through 

the district’s Adopt a School program; the local 

public library branch, Biblioteca Latinoamerica; 

and Hicklebee’s children’s bookstore. Prior to 

River Glen’s arrival, Hicklebee’s did not carry 

books in Spanish. As parents kept visiting in 

search of these books, the store saw the demand. “Now there’s a wall of Spanish books,” 

says founding principal Molina.

Passionate about the school’s dual immersion 

program and inclusive culture, parents are part 

of the school community in many meaningful 

ways. The middle school program, in fact, was 

developed chiefly out of parents’ desire to extend their children’s bilingual learning experience. The school’s success with parents is notable, given that the two-way language immersion 

program asks parents to make a leap of faith, 

accepting that spending a lot of classroom time 

in kindergarten learning Spanish will lead to 

being literate in English down the road. 

Most of River Glen’s marketing and public outreach efforts took place around the school’s 

inception—more than 20 years ago. To create 

a dual immersion program, the school needed more native-English-speaking students to 

achieve a linguistic balance in each classroom. 

Recruitment was one family at a time in those 

early years. “We had to get it right from the beginning,” Molina recalls, and luckily, “the community embraced it.”

The school, unlike the district as a whole, has 

achieved adequate yearly progress for the last 

six consecutive school years. Due to the success 

of River Glen, the district has expanded the twoway immersion model to a neighboring school 

and is considering plans to add two more sites.
Sustaining Success at River Glen Elementary & Middle School: 

Milestones

River Glen began as an experimental magnet strand within a neighborhood school. As the dual immersion theme

proved to be successful, it became a dedicated elementary magnet with its own site, and eventually grew into a 

K–8 school. Today, River Glen hosts university students as well as district, state, and national visitors who want

to learn from an established model about the dual immersion approach.

1986–89 Two-way bilingual program developed as a magnet strand within the Washington Elementary 

School to promote voluntary integration efforts. Staff, including principal Rosa Molina, recruited 

from a pool of professional development trainers and interested Washington teachers.

Recruitment targeted English-speaking families to meet district integration goals as well as create 

classroom composition balance. All kindergarten parents are contacted about two-way immersion as an enrichment program.

Staff attend dual immersion training at summer institutes hosted by the University of California 

(first at Los Angeles, then at Santa Barbara).

The magnet strand at Washington begins with two kindergarten classrooms and one first-grade 

classroom.

1989–91 Strand moves to new site, as a satellite program called Washington at River Glen.

Partnership with San Jose State University begins for training new teachers.

Program is completed with first class of fifth-graders.

1992 River Glen becomes its own dedicated elementary school, with no ties to Washington and without 

other strands on-site.

Staff become partners and participants in 2-Way CABE, an affiliate of the California Association 

for Bilingual Education.

1995–97 Title VII Academic Excellence funding provides principal Molina with a three-year position as 

principal on special assignment to disseminate River Glen model across the state. Cecelia Barrie 

becomes River Glen’s second principal based on Molina’s recommendation.

1997–98 In response to parent dissatisfaction with off-site two-way bilingual middle school program, River 

Glen expands to K–8 school. Seventh grade added in the first year.

2000–01 River Glen moves to its permanent location, taking the school’s name to the site.

2005–06 Mildred Colon-Arellano becomes River Glen’s third principal after Barrie leaves to lead district’s 

new two-way bilingual program.

Recognized as a trailblazer in bilingual education in California, founding principal Molina 

becomes associate superintendent of San Jose Unified School District. 

2006–07 River Glen recognized with a California Title I Academic Achievement Award (a program instituted 

under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) for closing the achievement gap.

72

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 
APPENDIX A

Research

Methodology

The research approach used to develop this 

guide is a combination of case study methodology and benchmarking of “best practices.” Used 

in businesses worldwide as they seek to continuously improve their operations, benchmarking 

has more recently been applied to education. 

Benchmarking is a structured, efficient process that targets key operations and identifies 

the following: promising practices in relationship to traditional practice, previous practice at 

the selected sites (lessons learned), and local 

outcome data. The methodology used here is 

further explained in a background document,19

which lays out the justification for identifying 

promising practices based on four sources of 

rigor in the approach:

•	 Theory and research base;

•	 Expert review;

•	 Site evidence of effectiveness; and

•	 Systematic field research and cross-site 

analysis.

The steps of the research process were: defining a study scope, seeking input from experts 

to refine the scope and inform site selection 

criteria, screening potential sites, selecting sites 

to study, conducting site visits, collecting and 

analyzing data to write case reports, and writing 

a user-friendly guide.

Study Framework and Data Collection

A conceptual framework was developed to 

guide the study of the selected sites. While 

there is a lot of daily activity at any school 

site, each case study needed to focus on those 

practices most likely to contribute to a school’s 

success and sustainability. The framework for 

this study was an adaptation of that used in a 

previous guide on districtwide magnet schools 

in an earlier Innovations in Education series, 

incorporating additional research literature on 

magnet schools, organizational effectiveness, 

and sustainability of school reform. Whereas 

a previous guide, Creating Successful Magnet 

School Programs, focused on magnet program 

implementation from a district perspective, the 

research for this guide focused on the schools 

themselves. The dimensions of the conceptual 

framework for this guide were academic excellence through an innovative theme, cohesive 

and effective school operations, strategic partnerships, and adaptability to challenges. A site 

visit was conducted at each school to gather the 

information for this guide, each visit lasting for 

two days and including informal observations 

throughout the school, attendance at events, and 

interviews. The primary source of data was interviews with a variety of key groups, including 

parents, teachers, administrators, district leaders, and school partners. An interview protocol 

73
74

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

was developed based on the study framework 

and adapted to each role group. Key interviews 

were digitally recorded and later transcribed.

Documents from each school served as an additional source of information. Collected during 

the site visit, these documents included such 

items as school schedules, sample assessments, 

curriculum plans, newsletters, application 

forms, brochures, and report cards. Principals 

and district magnet office staff also completed a 

standard form designed for this project to facilitate consistent compiling of school demographic and outcome information.

Site Selection Process and Criteria

A cross-section of schools were selected to 

highlight K–8 magnet schools successfully 

meeting the desegregation and achievement 

needs of their particular districts. Considerations included districts with a high number of 

traditionally underserved populations (e.g., low 

income, special education, African-American 

and Hispanic students), variation in academic 

programming and magnet themes, a range of 

grade configurations (e.g., K–4, K–8, 4–8), and 

a range of geographic locations. 

For this guide, a school had to be a dedicated 

magnet, not a school-within-a-school program, 

and could not use selective admission criteria (e.g., minimum grade point average, test 

scores, or audition) to enroll students. Each 

school had to show evidence of strong academic achievement as well as success in reducing minority group isolation for at least 

four consecutive years.

Based on state standardized test data, strong 

academic achievement meant that students of 

certain subgroups—including African-American 

and Hispanic students, those receiving special 

education services, English language learners, and students eligible for free or reducedprice lunch (an indicator of relatively low family income)—were outperforming local district 

public schools that served a similar population 

of students in math and reading. Schools considered for this guide also had to have met adequate yearly progress (AYP) for the most recent 

year for which data was available, with priority 

given to schools that met AYP for the last four 

consecutive years.

For interdistrict schools, which operate in extremely minority-group-isolated settings, success with desegregation meant that schools did 

not have any subgroup representing more than 

80 percent of the student population. Within 

a given district, researchers defined for each 

subgroup a percentage that would be considered racial isolation in the context of the district based on demographics, and success with 

desegregation meant that a school had avoided 

isolation for any subgroup.

Because sustainability was the focus of the 

guide, one first step in selecting potential 

magnet school sites was to identify host districts with well-established magnet programs. 

A review of 198 school districts that had received federal Magnet Schools Assistance program (MSAP) funding at some point from 1985 

to present, taking into account MSAP’s changing criteria in that time period, narrowed the 

selection to 52 districts after eliminating those 

with emerging programs (less than four years 

old), declining programs (reduction in num-
75

bers of magnets, total magnet enrollment), 

underperforming programs (with regards to 

achievement or student enrollment data), or 

those districts that were undergoing reorganization. In each of the remaining 52 school 

districts, the SchoolMatters.com Web site was 

used as a standard reference to compare magnet schools within a district for achievement 

and success with desegregation.

Additionally, individual schools also were 

nominated by the magnet school researchers, 

practitioners, and board members of the Magnet Schools of America (MSA), who served as 

the guide’s external advisory group. As a national organization, MSA identifies successful 

magnet schools through a rigorous application 

process that includes achievement, desegregation, and sustainability criteria; the award lists 

from the most recent five years were used to 

determine candidates.

Based on recommendations from the advisory 

group and a screening of schools based on 

achievement and student enrollment data (see 

below), the initial list was narrowed down to 

22 schools. Additional information about specific program features and updated data were 

collected using phone interviews with school 

administrators to fill gaps in information.

From this group of 22 schools, six schools were 

ultimately chosen as case study sites, based on 

the compiled information and criteria ratings 

on a screening matrix. Demographic variation, 

a range of promising practices, geographic location, and achievement data were all considered in the final site selection in order to present a range of contexts for those considering 

magnet programs.

Achievement Criteria

Schools selected met AYP targets for at least two 

consecutive years, including the most recent year 

for which data were available for each school. 

Researchers looked for schools that scored at 

least at the 50th percentile in math or reading 

on state standardized tests with demonstrated 

evidence of continued improvement for at least 

three years, or for schools that were consistently 

high achieving in the 90th percentile range annually. Data from Web sites of state departments of 

education and the Web site SchoolMatters.com 

provided achievement information. Researchers compared subgroup scores at the selected 

schools with a similar population of students in 

its local district public schools.

Student Enrollment Criteria

The profiled schools demonstrated success in 

maintaining stable patterns of enrollment over 

time. Compared to district demographics or interdistrict targets, these schools are maintaining 

diverse student populations with respect to race, 

ethnicity, and socioeconomic background. 

Sustainability Criteria

Schools needed to demonstrate success with 

achievement and the ability to attract substantial numbers of students of different racial backgrounds for at least five years. Success was sustained over time at each of the selected schools 

regardless of MSAP status (two of the six schools 

were recipients of MSAP grant funding) or leadership transitions. In addition, these schools all 

serve as models of exemplary magnet programs 

at the district, state, or national level.
76

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

Analysis and Reporting

A case report was written about each site, and 

reviewed by site administrators for accuracy. 

From these case reports, artifacts, and transcripts 

of interviews, the project team identified common themes that contributed to success across 

the sites. This cross-site analysis consisted of 

using both the research literature as reflected 

in the study scope as well as emerging patterns 

in the data.

This descriptive research process suggests promising practices, including ways to do things that 

other educators have found helpful and lessons 

they have learned, as well as practical “how-to” 

guidance. This is not the kind of experimental 

research that can yield valid causal claims about 

what works. Readers should judge for themselves the merits of these practices, based on 

their understanding of why they should work, 

how they fit the local context, and what happens when they actually try them. Also, readers should understand that these descriptions 

do not constitute an endorsement of specific 

practices or products.

Using the Guide

Ultimately, readers of this guide will need to 

select, adapt, and implement practices that 

meet their individual needs and contexts. 

Schools and districts coming together in learning communities may continue to study, using 

the ideas and practices from these sites as a 

springboard for their own action research. In 

this way, a pool of promising practices will 

grow, and educators can support each other in 

implementation and learning.
77

APPENDIX B

Resources

The resources listed below are intended to provide readers with ready access to further information 

about K–8 magnet schools. This is not a complete list, and there may be other useful resources on the 

topic. Selection was based on the criteria that resources be relevant to the topic and themes of this 

guide, current and up-to-date, from nationally recognized organizations, including but not limited 

to federal or federally funded sources, and that they offer materials free of charge. This listing offers 

a range of research, practical tools, policy information, and other resources. 

Magnet Schools Assistance Program 

The Office of Innovation and Improvement 

in the U.S. Department of Education runs the 

Magnet Schools Assistance program (MSAP) to 

support the implementation of magnet schools 

under court-ordered or federally approved voluntary desegregation plans. The MSAP Web site 

provides details of the grant competition, including eligibility criteria, as well as abstracts 

of sample programs and a detailed “Frequently 

Asked Questions” section.

http://www.ed.gov/programs/magnet/index.html

National Center for Education Statistics

As part of the U.S Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, this program collects 

and analyzes data related to education. The Web 

site provides reports on recent trends on districts’ 

use of school choice as a means of giving parents 

options within the public school system.

http://nces.ed.gov

Building Choice 

The U.S. Department of Education disseminates practices and tools from successful school 

choice programs, which create options for parents within the public school system across the 

country through its Building Choice Web site. 

The site offers resources drawn from diverse 

programs that have been identified as having 

promising practices related to choice.

http://www.buildingchoice.org

Policy and Program Studies Service

This program, run by the U.S. Department of 

Education, contracted the American Institutes 

for Research to conduct an evaluation of the 

Magnet Schools Assistance program 1998 grantees. Their final report published in 2003 includes both a cross-site comparative analysis 

and case studies of eight districts. 

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/

ppss/reports.html

The above information is provided for the reader’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education is not responsible for controlling or guaranteeing the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside 

information. Further, the inclusion of these resources does not reflect their importance, nor is it intended to 

endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered.
78

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 
Notes

79

1 U.S. Department of Education, Magnet School 

Assistance: Purpose, http://www.ed.gov/programs/

magnet/index.html (last accessed on March 3, 

2008). 

2

 Gary Orfield and Chungmei Lee, Racial Transformation and the Changing Nature of Segregation (Cambridge, Mass.: The Civil Rights 

Project at Harvard University, 2006), http://

www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research/deseg/

deseg06.php (last accessed on Jan. 16, 2008).

3

 Willis D. Hawley, “Designing Schools That 

Use Student Diversity to Enhance Learning of 

All Students,” in Lessons in Integration: Realizing the Promise of Racial Diversity in American 

Schools, ed. Erica Frankenberg and Gary ­Orfield 

(Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 

2007). See also Richard Kahlenberg, All Together 

Now: Creating Middle-Class Schools through Public School Choice (Washington, D.C.: Brookings 

Institution Press, 2001).

4

 Paul Hill, Lawrence C. Pierce, and James W. 

Guthrie, Reinventing Public Education: How 

Contracting Can Transform America’s Schools

(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997). See 

also U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Trends in the Use of 

School Choice 1993 to 2003: Statistical Analysis 

Report (Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics, 2006). 

5

 Christine Rossell, “Whatever Happened to Magnet 

Schools,” Education Next 4, no. 2 (Spring, 2005), 

http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/ 

3220691.html (last accessed on March 10, 2008).

6 Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, provides financial 

assistance to schools serving large numbers of 

children from low-income families.

7 Under Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act (ESEA), National Academic Excellence Awards were given to schools to disseminate successful bilingual practices and programs. 

The 2002 reauthorization of ESEA replaced the 

Title VII grant with Title III, a formula grant program providing funding to states.

8 Willard R. Daggett, Achieving Academic Excellence through Rigor and Relevance (Rexford, N.Y.: 

International Center for Leadership in Education, 

2005), http://www.leadered.com/pdf/Academic_

Excellence.pdf (last accessed on Jan. 16, 2008).

9 As part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title VII, also known as the Bilingual 

Education Act of 1968, provided supplemental funding for school districts to support programs designed to meet the educational needs 

of children with limited English-speaking ability. 

(Title VII is no longer authorized; see note 7.)

10 Linda Darling-Hammond, Doing What Matters Most: Investing in Quality Teaching (Kutztown, Pa.: National Commission on Teaching 

and America’s Future, 1997), http://www.nctaf.

org/documents/DoingWhatMattersMost.pdf (last 

accessed on Jan. 16, 2008).

11 David Tyack and William Tobin, “The Grammar of Schooling: Why Has It Been So Hard 

to Change?” American Educational Research 

Journal 31, no. 6 (1994).

12 Donald Waldrip, “A Brief History of Magnet 

Schools” (Washington, D.C.: Magnet Schools 

of America, 2000), http://www.magnet.edu/

modules/content/index.php?id=36 (last accessed 

on Jan. 16, 2008).

13 Hawley, 2007.

14 U.S. Department of Education, Evaluation of 

Magnet Schools Assistance Program, 1998 Grantees, Final Report (Washington, D.C.: American 

Institutes for Research, 2003).

15 The concept of “complex instruction” was developed by Elizabeth Cohen to address the different levels of abilities and social skills found 

in many classrooms such as those that emerge in 
80

Creating and Sustaining Successful K–8 Magnet Schools 

Innovat ion s i n Edu cat ion 

normalparkmuseummagnet.com/fund.aspx 

(last accessed on Jan. 16, 2008).

18 Statistics indicate that 82.6 percent of Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) ninth-grade students graduated high school after four years compared with 68 percent statewide and 69 percent 

nationwide. Glenda Haynie and Brad McMillen, 

High School Graduation Rates: 2005–06 (Raleigh, N.C.: Wake County Evaluation and Research 

Department, 2007), http://www.wcpss.net/

evaluation-research/reports/2006/0616hs_

grad_2005_06.pdf (last accessed on Jan. 16, 2008).

19 Nikola Filby, “Approach to Methodological 

Rigor in the Innovation Guides,” working paper, 

WestEd, San Francisco, Calif., 2006.

racially and ethnically heterogeneous groups of 

students. ­Teachers using this method present students with complex tasks that demand multiple 

abilities, foster interaction, and problem solving. 

See Elizabeth Cohen and Rachel Lotan, “Producing Equal-Status Interaction in the Heterogeneous 

Classroom,” American Educational Research 

Journal 31, no. 1 (1995). 

16 Patricia Kannapel and Stephen Clements, Inside 

the Black Box of High-Performing High Poverty 

Schools: A Report from the Prichard Committee 

for Academic Excellence (Lexington, Ky.: Prichard 

Committee for Academic Excellence, 2005).

17 Normal Park Museum Magnet Web 

site, Parent Education Fund, http://www.

The Department of Education’s mission is to promote student achievement

and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational

excellence and ensuring equal access.

www.ed.gov