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 […]
The Spring 2026 issue of Distinct by Design arrives at a milestone moment—celebrating 40 years of Magnet Schools of America and the enduring impact of magnet education on students, communities, and the future of public education. Across these pages, a common thread emerges: magnet schools are not only a model of innovation and choice, but […]
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 Sara Wheeler Director of Magnet Programs and Project Director-MSAP Grant, School District Five of Lexington & Richland Counties (South Carolina); Past President, Magnet Schools of America When a member of Congress walks into a magnet school, they’re not just touring classrooms; they’re stepping into a story. Every student they meet, every teacher they hear […]
By Ary Amerikaner and Halley Potter Many states and districts across the country are facing declining student enrollment, and with it, declining per pupil funding from state and federal revenue sources. They are simultaneously experiencing the “fiscal cliff” that occurred when billions of dollars in federal Covid-relief funding ran out in 2024. Districts often turn […]
By Patrick Cremin Staff Attorney, Education Law Center Magnet schools were designed in part to help integrate schools and provide unique learning opportunities for students. Courts have often approved magnet schools as a remedial tool as part of broader integration efforts in school desegregation cases. But what does this mean in the current […]
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