On Leadership is a column by MSA Superintendent-in-Residence Dr. Baron R. Davis
Ask someone what makes a magnet school distinctive, and the answer will often begin with its theme: STEM, the arts, health sciences, international studies, technology, or another area of specialization.
Themes matter. They can create identity, attract students, organize learning, and connect schools to powerful opportunities.
On Leadership is a column by MSA Superintendent-in-Residence Dr. Baron R. Davis
We often say that every student deserves an opportunity. It's a statement few would dispute. But if we are honest, opportunity is not created by aspiration alone.
It is created by design.
Too often, we think of opportunity as something students either have or do not have.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed changes to federal grant regulations that would affect how schools and districts use federal education funds. If finalized, the rule could limit the use of grant funds for conference attendance, professional development, association memberships, and subscriptions unless specifically approved by the federal agency and included in the grant terms.
In recognition of Teacher Appreciation Week and National Teacher Day, Magnet Schools of America (MSA) is proud to celebrate its 2025-2026 national award recipients, honoring the educators, school leaders, and districts who are advancing excellence in magnet education.
Washington, DC (April 9, 2026) — The Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2027 discretionary budget request proposes once again to eliminate funding for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP), consolidating it into a broader “Make Education Great Again” (MEGA) block grant. Magnet Schools of America (MSA), the national nonprofit representing the nation’s magnet schools, strongly opposes this proposal.
An interview with Dr. Terris Ross, Managing Director of the AIR Opportunity Fund, American Institutes for Research When Terris Ross stepped into the brand-new math, science, and engineering magnet program at Suncoast High School in 1989, she had no way of knowing how profoundly it would shape her future. She also had no way of […]
I’d spent a week preparing for a biology quiz, with hours rearranging formulas and re-reading lines out of a textbook. When I opened the packet the next day, I was shocked by one of the questions. Among its many questions about eukaryotic cells and chemical equations, a single word appeared after a multiple-choice question: Why?
By Jonathan Voss Founder of Voss Research and Strategy Most of us could be forgiven for thinking Americans are eternally divided about public schools. The arguments are familiar: public schools versus private vouchers, more funding versus less, and of course the heated debates over curriculum. But when you ask people what they want for children, […]
By Lea M. Crusey Co-founder and President of WOOF They don’t talk nicely to each other,” groaned Ms. Briggs, a middle school teacher, frustrated that interactions between students were too often laced with antagonism, shaping both classroom culture and the instructional climate. Magnet schools are built around choice, identity, and shared mission. They bring together […]
By MSA Past Presidents Magnet Schools of America was born out of a defining chapter in American history. Emerging from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, magnet schools were designed as a voluntary pathway to desegregation. The belief was that schools built around innovative themes would attract diverse families and create high-quality, integrated learning […]
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