U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige has announced 24 new grants totaling $37.2 million in federal support for magnet school programs that bring diverse groups of children together, offer public school choice and create innovative educational programs for students. The grants—the final group of a total of 60 grants and nearly $96 million awarded over the past four months—are going to school districts in 14 states. Thirty-six school districts were awarded magnet grants previously.

The grants, under the federal Magnet Schools Assistance Program, will help school districts set up or strengthen school choice programs in Selma, Ala.; Berkeley, Long Beach, Redwood City and West Contra Costa, Calif.; Bradenton and Tampa, Fla.; Rockford, Ill.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Upper Marlboro, Md.; Minneapolis; Omaha, Neb.; Las Vegas; the Bronx, Brooklyn, Ozone Park and Forest Hills, N.Y.; Greensboro and Raleigh, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; Fort Worth and Wichita Falls, Texas and Danville, Va.

"Parents, armed with options and choice, are equipped to ensure that their children get the highest quality education possible," Paige said. "Competition among schools can be a powerful motivator to help schools improve the quality and scope of programs they offer, and to make sure that young people learn the core knowledge that they need to succeed in the world today."

The funds awarded today will help school districts establish or expand existing magnet programs that are part of a school district's court-ordered or federally approved desegregation plan.

To qualify for funding, the projects must:
• foster interaction among students of different social, economic, ethnic and racial backgrounds in classroom activities and extracurricular activities;
• carry out a high-quality educational program that will substantially strengthen students' reading skills or knowledge of mathematics, science, history, geography, English, foreign languages, art, music or vocational skills;
• reduce, eliminate or prevent minority group isolation in participating schools;
• address the educational needs of the students who will be enrolled in the magnet schools; and,
• encourage greater parental decision-making and involvement.

The grants range in size from less than $1 million to more than $2 million a year over three years. Almost $15 million will fund the continuation of four other magnet schools programs that received initial funding last year as well as 15 innovative programs that involve local desegregation activities that expand parental choice through the use of strategies other than magnet schools.

The Magnet Schools Assistance Program is authorized under Title V, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended in 1994 and is administered by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.

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Magnet Schools Assistance Program -- FY 2001 New Grant Recipients

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