Magnet Schools
In the mid-1970s, people became fed up with forced bussing of students to locations across town for the sake of desegregation. As a result, school districts began the promotion of “magnet” schools. These schools offered specialized curriculums, often centered around the arts and sciences, and were designed to attract a cross-section of students across socio-economic boundaries. Although these were public schools, they often had admissions tests, and the monies spent per student were greater than that spent elsewhere in the community. Prior to the introduction of magnet schools, students were limited to attending schools in their assigned zone (Nathan, 2006).
References
Nathan, J. (1996). Charter Schools: Creating Hope and Opportunity for American Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.