Welcome to Issue 2, 2024 of Distinct by Design, the quarterly digital magazine of Magnet Schools of America.

As its name suggests, Distinct by Design focuses primarily on a feature of American public education—the magnet school—that is unique and unlike most public schools but intentionally different, purposefully designed to provide opportunities that set these schools apart.

This summer, Magnet Schools of America hosted two symposia that offered opportunities for our members to enjoy all of the above: they took a deep dive into specific issues related to the five pillars of magnet schools, they heard working in a small, interactive setting, and they had a great time laughing and learning together. In this issue of Distinct by Design, we reflect on our Denver symposium, which exemplified the essence of the second of the five pillars of magnet schools— Innovative Curriculum and Professional Development—by focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on K-12 education.

America’s students are more socioeconomically and demographically diverse than ever, and our schools are resegregating at alarming rates. I resolutely believe magnet schools grounded in integration, innovation, and inclusivity promote school integration while fostering diverse student interaction and providing high-quality academic and non-academic impact for ALL students. As MSA President, I will collaborate with colleagues, membership, and partners to honor the mission and vision of MSA and elevate the impact of magnet programs across the United States.

At East Career Technical Academy (ECTA), students are not just educated; they are empowered to succeed in life. As Destiny, a senior at the school, shares her journey, it’s clear that ECTA is more than just a traditional high school. It is a unique learning environment that emphasizes project-based education, equipping students with essential life skills like communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and the effective use of technology.

I teach at Freese Elementary in San Diego, CA, an Arts and Culture Museum Magnet School. When I first started, I had the same question that many people do: What exactly does it mean to be a museum school, especially for my second graders? How was I supposed to help them understand our unique magnet theme when I was still figuring it out myself?

As a founding pillar, family and community partnerships are a sign of a highly effective school. These connections with community members, industry leaders, and local businesses support the education of all students, connecting the real-world to the school building. This engagement is often seen within board members, job fairs, and speakers. However, students struggle to connect with professionals through these more-typically established connections.

A growing trend on Instagram is Gen Z’ers asking “is this story real?” in response to content surfacing in their feeds. They’re smart to be asking. An unprecedented number of new forces are reshaping our information ecosystem. If the internet created the infrastructure that supercharged information flow, these new forces are heavily influencing the kind of information that’s flowing.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Distinct by Design, the quarterly digital magazine of Magnet Schools of America.

As its name suggests, Distinct by Design focuses primarily on a feature of American public education—the magnet school—that is unique and unlike most public schools but intentionally different, purposefully designed to provide opportunities that set these schools apart.

As this first issue of Distinct by Design makes clear, American public schools are facing a range of challenges, from dwindling federal funding to dizzying and disruptive technological advancements to entrenched segregation.

In our book, Magnet Schools: Public Schools of Choice in a Changing Education Landscape, we explore the unique facets of magnet schools that position them so well as potential solutions.

This year, as we mark the 70th anniversary of the Brown decision, schools are at least as racially segregated as they were in the late 1960s and students of color continue to be systematically excluded from schools with greater resources. Schools and districts with high numbers of students of color and students living in poverty are under-funded, over-reliant on novice teachers, and less likely to provide rigorous coursework. 

The last few years have seen states and districts flush with cash, thanks to historic sums of pandemic relief aid in the form of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER.

As the title of this newsletter suggests, magnet schools are distinct by design. From the first magnet school that opened in 1968 (McCarver Elementary School in Tacoma, Washington) until today, magnet schools have specialized in having distinctive missions. Magnet schools operate with clear purpose and practices; teachers, students, and parents know what a magnet school is about.

By now, you have no doubt heard a lot about artificial intelligence (AI) and why it’s the best—or the worst—thing to happen to K-12 education in a long time. I can’t tell you what to believe, but I can help explain a little about how generative AI might be used in schools today.