Solution Paper - First Draft - Magnet Schools

Mary Jean-Le Tendre once said, “America’s future walks through the doors of our schools every day”. Why then are parents and educators complacent with the current learning conditions in our public school system? Once upon a time, children were taught all together in a one room school house. The younger children were taught by the older children, and the older children learned responsibility through helping with the younger children. While not perfect, one room school houses had something that the current public school system does not have; smaller classes and broader learning experiences. Although the traditional public school system is an established system in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District should transition all K-8 schools into magnet schools because many children become lost academically in the current system, magnet schools provide a nurturing environment that add balance through both the academics and the arts, and magnet schools focus on each individual student and their learning style to provide the best learning experience for that child.

Many parents today opt for small private schools and home schooling over public schools because of the extra attention they know their child will receive. Education is worth the money especially later on down the road when a child is then applying for colleges. Public schools tend to use a proverbial cookie cutter when looking at students in the system. Bright students with no other problems will always succeed but the other children who might be just as bright but have some behavioral issues will be pushed to the side. I will use for example my four children. I have two boys and two girls. All four children are equally bright. The two girls excel at everything from the arts to math and even science. They are well rounded individuals who will succeed with no doubt. In fact the older one has been given a choice of quite a few colleges with full scholarship. The two boys are also very smart. Both have a problem sitting still and paying attention. They do not have Attention Deficit Disorder so they do not qualify for special programs the public school system offers. The older boy is now graduated, but it was a struggle for him all the way to the end. He only had a select few teachers out of the many that understood his needs and worked with him. He is still successful though having joined the military as a police officer and doing what he really loves. My younger son is the same way. Lucky for him, he was accepted into Barnette Magnet School where the teachers have the time to work with him on an individual basis.

Magnet schools have been in effect since the 1960’s. Usually a magnet school will choose the arts or science as the main focus of their school. The magnet school in Fairbanks, Barnette Magnet School, focuses on science. The schools were originally intended to draw out bright students from the regular public schools in order to facilitate the student’s needs and give them something extra. Today’s magnet schools do operate somewhat the same way, but many times students are not just accepted based on their academic skills any more. There are different ways to get into a magnet school. The school in Fairbanks accepts students by lottery every year. In the lower 48, students may be accepted according to their district with a few slots on reserve for other students. Why magnet school over regular public school? Magnet schools offer multi-age class rooms for the children to learn from each other. They also offer smaller class rooms which gives the teacher more time with each individual student. Barnette Magnet School “loops” their teachers so the children will have the same teacher at least two years in a row. The current set up at Barnette has the children in their core classroom for the morning session where the teacher teaches the basics of math and literature and writing to the students. For this portion, they are all in the same grade. After lunch, the children branch off into “exploration classes” that the student and parent chose at the end of the previous school year. These explorations range from art, science, music, history, and physical education. The school’s set up is for the success of the student. Every teacher has the child’s best interest at heart and goes above and beyond for their students. In the magnet school, there is more parent and teacher interaction as well.

The “No Child Left Behind Act” has put pressure on public schools to work with the children in raising their grades. More should be done though. There are many children out in the community that are bright and would succeed but either do not fit in the cookie cutter shape the school district expects them to be in or it is the lack of parental participation at home. Transitioning all the K-8 grade schools into magnets school would make an immense difference in the community and provide greater opportunities for students. If each elementary and middle school where to become magnet schools, there would be room for each child currently attending school. The magnet school would accept children by district with a few slots for children who would like to choose a different school. Bus routes would not be disrupted because children would stay within their district. One other benefit of transitioning to magnet schools would be the easier transition into high school. Students would be used to having more than one teacher which would ease part of the stress of being a freshman. One concern might be the question of what type of magnet school each one would be. I feel that the public school system could follow in the footsteps of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and keep the science theme alive throughout the school district as well.

No school system is ever perfect because of our ever changing society. However, changing our current public schools into magnet schools would give each child a better opportunity for a brighter future. Each child could have a better learning experience based on their needs and be able to learn in an environment that current public schools are unable to provide. Teacher would also be able to use their talents to teach other classes during the exploration time which would keep the teachers from growing stagnant by teaching the same subject everyday.