MAGNET SCHOOLS: Research
Research Reports for Burlington Schools
Regional Education Laboratories-NEI provided research summaries on our magnet themes and magnet schools - read their findings here:
Have a Research Question on Magnets?
You can also ask an "REL" - an independent regional education lab. Click here
Background
The School Board plan for magnet schools is the result of four years of research conducted by, and with, more than one thousand Burlington citizens, parents, teachers, administrators, education professors, and community activists. We have worked hard to get here. Our two goals are excellence, and equity, which we believe includes demographic balance in every classroom, a principle also known as socio-economic integration. To read about the Board decision to support the goal of socio-economic integration, and to see the original proposals for our magnet themes, click on the links at the left. You can also read about socio-economic integration on the School District's research and resources page , and in July, 2008, the New York Times Magazine included a lengthy article on "The Next Integration" that mentions Burlington's initiatives to end the practice of economic isolation in public schools.
Our specific magnet school themes and plans are the result of a market survey of parents conducted in January, 2008, as well as a visioning process including parents, teachers, administrators and community members, which was held from March through May, 2008. In recent months, the principals, teachers, and community partners at each magnet school have further researched and developed curriculum ideas. The .pdf files posted to the left have more information.
Research Studies on Integrated Arts:
There are numerous research studies that demonstrate the effects of integrated arts education on student achievement and engagement. The following statement captures the essence of the numerous research findings which highlight the benefits of integrated arts education:
“A study of 23 arts-integrated schools in Chicago showed test scores rising as much as two times faster than in comparable schools. A study of a Minneapolis arts-integration programs showed that it had positive effects on all students, but was most powerful for disadvantaged learners. Gains in these integrated programs go well beyond the basics and test scores. Arts integration energizes and challenges teachers. One researcher said that the Minneapolis program was “one of the most powerful professional-development experiences for large numbers of teachers.” See the Center for Arts Policy and the Arts Education Policy Foundation, as well as this bibliography.
Our own experience in Burlington confirms these results.
Findings from Words Come Alive!, the Flynn Center’s program that strengthens reading comprehension with drama and movement, demonstrate that the progam has improved student mastery and retention of material as well as creating what one evaluator described as “a spirit of joy” in the school. The Flynn Center’s website includes evaluation summaries (and a great eight minute video) on the Words Come Alive! program.
Research Studies on Sustainability:
Evaluation of Shelburne Farms' Sustainable Schools Project, as well as similar initiatives across the country, points to significant improvement in schools that use the natural and cultural community or sustainability as an integrative theme. For example, Closing the Achievement Gap, a study of forty schools in twelve states that used the local natural and cultural community as the context for learning, found higher scores on standardized measures of academic achievement, reduced discipline and classroom management problems, increased engagement and enthusiasm for learning, greater school pride and more student ownership of their accomplishment.
In Oil City, LA, fourteen schools embraced a sustainability philosophy and found that it boosted test scores, increased attendance, and spurred parent and community involvement. Oil City is a model site for schools and has received a prestigious national award. For more information on environment-themed schools and their benefits, visit the State Education and Environment Roundtable and the “place based” education evaluation collaborative .
Magnets
