🚀 go-pugleaf

   I read a moderately recently issue of US News and World Reports which
discussed the issue of "magnet" schools.   Magnet schools, for those of
you who don't know it, are schools that admit highly qualified students on
the basis of examination or other similar means.   For example, New York
City has several schools like this (Stuyvesant, Bronx School of Science,
Brooklyn Tech, Hunter College, etc.).   I think the idea is that in a city
as large as New York, and with so many schools, it is difficult to maintain
a high quality education throughout since not all students are highly
motivated.   

    Therefore exams are given, and anyone getting some score is admitted
into these schools (which are free).   The distribution of various ethnic
groups is pretty good, and so some minorities like this system because
it gives a chance for qualified minorities to get the kind of education
they want.   The downside is that it may foster a bit of elitism where
top students are getting more of the resources than the rest of the
city.

    My personal opinion is that, if it is not really possible to maintain
high education throughout a city or town, either due to the lack of
high quality students or teachers,  then magnet schools are a good idea.
They make sure that those who are both willing and able are not hampered
by the location that they live in and made to go to a school where they
are not educationally challenged.   It also offers a way to emphasize education
as something to strive for.

--
Charles Lin
clin@eng.umd.edu