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characteristics of magnet schools
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A Refining of Magnet Schools: The Segregated System
Magnet schools are designed to promote voluntary school desegregation and to enhance
educational quality through thematic teaching of uniform curriculum (www.magnet.edu). Partially funded by the federal government through grants and assistance programs, magnet schools essentially provide choice to parents and students across America to gain a more specialized education.
Intrinsically, magnet schools allow students from many different districts to unite in one school in hopes of creating a racially diverse learning environment. Despite the attempt made by the federal government to desegregate schools, Jonathon Kozol points out that, in fact, the magnet schools have even further isolated the poor urban student and that magnet schools have indeed failed to meet initial expectations as a desegregated environment. Yet desegregation is apparent in the areas of philosophy and purpose, admission and entrance to the schools, and curriculum.
The initial proposal of the magnet school as a means to create racial equity among schools has been unsuccessful despite its statement of philosophy and purpose. “By shifting focus toward academic interests…magnet schools are attempting to bring together students who have common interests regardless of race” (www.liberalparty.com). However, despite its attempts, the system of magnet schools has failed to overcome racial segregation. Kozol notes that “very poor children, excluded from this [magnet] system, says the Chicago Tribune, are ‘even more isolated’ as a consequence of the removal of the more successful students from their midst” (Kozol 59). According to Kozol and the
Tribune, the magnet system is further segregating the school systems by worsening the regular public schools in neighboring areas. What must not be forgotten are the existing schools that the less successful and less motivated students are left to attend, and the damaging effects that they face as a result of the magnet school system. In addition, in an evaluation of the Magnet Schools Assistance Program between 1989 and 1991, researchers “Steel and Eaton discovered that only half the schools met their
desegregation objectives” (www.eric.uoregon.edu). Another study providing evidence that
racial equity has failed to be realized through the use of magnet schools is in a recent statecommissioned evaluation of New York State’s magnet school program for 1993-94. The study “found that schools did not completely achieve their academic or desegregation goals” (New York State 1994- www.eric.urogen.edu). Legal critic Kimberly West has also concluded that “magnet schools are a ‘desegregation tool that backfired, are rife with racially segregated classes,’ and minority students are too often ‘treated as inferior by the very system that was designed to help them’” (www.
This in itself is the problem that black conservatives see in implementing raced based uniform admissions policies. They feel that this system is not only demeaning to African Americans, but that school desegregation laws are based on a theory of black inferiority (Magelli 2). Shelby Steel, a Stanford University Professor and black conservative thinks that the federal government should focus on fixing old public school systems instead of giving minorities a leg up later in life when it is often too late to undo the damage inflicted by poor public schooling during childhood (Magelli 11). This is a valid point especially in many urban areas where underpaid teachers teach from outdated school books. But what is the answer? Would everything be fine if,,Ÿlike the black conservatives feel,,Ÿ the federal government removed itself from the situation (Magelli 3)? We need only to look at our own neighborhoods to answer that question.
The essay “Still Separate, Still Unequal”, by Jonathan Kozol, discusses the reality of inner-city public school systems, and the isolation and segregation of inequality that students are subjected to; as a result, to receive an education. Throughout the essay, Kozol proves evidence of the inequality that African American and Hispanic children face in the current school systems.
America’s school system and student population remains segregated, by race and class. The inequalities that exist in schools today result from more than just poorly managed schools; they reflect the racial and socioeconomic inequities of society as a whole. Most of the problems of schools boil down to either racism in and outside the school or financial disparity between wealthy and poor school districts. Because schools receive funding through local property taxes, low-income communities start at an economic disadvantage. Less funding means fewer resources, lower quality instruction and curricula, and little to no community involvement. Even when low-income schools manage to find adequate funding, the money doesn’t solve all the school’s problems. Most important, money cannot influence student, parent, teacher, and administrator perceptions of class and race. Nor can money improve test scores and make education relevant and practical in the lives of minority students.
The exhaustion of the long commute to Monroe Elementary School everyday had upset me, the feeling of being powerless overcame my mentality. I constantly thought to myself about the all whites elementary school only seven blocks away, what made them so surprior? I, as a third grader, grew up to the discriminatory profiling. Of course it was nothing new, but I could not comprehend why. Recalling back to Monroe Elementary; the broken ceiling tiles, the wore down floors, and the cracked windows was not an ideal place for any education to take place. It had only proved to me that the segregation of white and black children made us African American students feel inferiority to the white American students.
America’s public school system started off very rough, but through the dedication of many hard-working Americans, it was starting to shape into a system that allowed all children, regardless of race, gender, religion, or nation of origin, to have an education.
For decades now, there have been educational problems in the inner city schools in the United States. The schools inability to teach some students relates to the poor conditions in the public schools. Some of the conditions are the lack of funds that give students with the proper supplies, inexperienced teachers, inadequate resources, low testing scores and the crime-infested neighborhoods. These conditions have been an issue for centuries, but there is nothing being done about it. Yet, state and local governments focus on other priorities, including schools with better academics. It is fair to say that some schools need more attention than other does. However, when schools have no academic problems then the attention should be focused elsewhere, particularly in the inner city schools.
As opposed to regular, neighborhood high schools, magnet schools allow students from different districts to attend. Students may be bused in from over 30 miles away to attend a magnet school, while “some magnet schools have boarding facilities to allow students from out of state to attend” (Boland). In addition, magnet schools are an outlet for students from low-income, urban areas. “By the early 1980s, there were approximately 1,100 magnet schools in 140 urban school districts nationwide” (baeo.org, p2).
*** Macronutrients Certain elements in the soil are required by plants in relatively large quantities; these are called macronutrients. Some of these are major components of nucleic acids, proteins, and phospholipids, all of which are plentiful in plants. Among the macronutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are particularly important because they often act as limiting nutrients, meaning their availability limits plant growth. If N, P, and/or K are added in appropriate quantities to soil as fertilizer, plant growth usually increases. This observation explains why the leading ingredients in virtually every commercial fertilizer are N, P, and K. Freeman 5th***. Both organic and inorganic fertilizers provide plants with the nutrients needed to grow healthy and strong. However, each contains different ingredients and supplies these nutrients in different ways. Organic fertilizers work over time to create a healthy growing environment, while inorganic fertilizers provide rapid nutrition. (REFERENCE/rephrase)
We first realize in Act I, Scene 2 that poor judgment is her major character flaw. As the mother of a grieving son, Gertrude should have been more sensitive to Hamlet's feelings. Instead, less than two months after King Hamlet's death, Gertrude remarries Claudius, her dead husband's own brother. Gertrude should have realized how humiliated Hamlet would feel as a result, because at that time it was considered incestuous for a widow to marry her husband's brother. There is also jealousy on the part of a son, who feels that his mother should be giving him more attention during the mourning period. Gertrude is not in touch with her own son's feelings to see why he is angry. Hamlet expresses this outrage during his first soliloquy:
Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark and has experienced significant life changes in the last few months. She buries her husband and has remarried her brother in law. This rapid transition to a new marriage does not bode well on her son, Hamlet. Hamlet discusses his distaste in this situation and reflects on this as he tries to overcome the grief of losing his father. Of course it does not sit well with grieving Hamlet that his mothers new marriage has created a lust-filled environment, and that Gertrude has portrayed herself as a very sexual character. At the beginning of the she play she also continuously takes Claudius’ side over Hamlets. An excerpt from Rebecca Smith’s A Heart Cleft in Twain: The Dilemma of Shakespeare’s Gertrude analyzes Hamlet’s first soliloquy in the first act where he voices his disgust for his mother and his shame for her and women in general. In Rebecca’s passage, she states that “Hamlet's violent emotions toward his mother are obvious from his first ...
The relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude is strained at first. From the beginning of the play to act III, Hamlet is bitter with his mother. He feels this way because it has been less than four months since the death of his biological father, yet she is already remarried to Claudius. He feels his father is being betrayed from her lack of mourning. She tells her son to "cast thy nighted color off" (I.ii.68) and "all that lives must die" (I.ii.72). Clearly, she isn't grieving over her late husband's death and instead puts forth an optimistic attitude to her new husband and life. Gertrude's concern with Hamlet's odd behaviour after his encounter with Ophelia in act II scene i also shows the strain in their relationship. For example, she agrees with Claudius' words that "of Hamlet's transformation" (II.ii.5) and suggests Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy and find out the underlying cause of her son's problems. In addition to that, she consents Polonius to hide behind the tapestry in act III scene iv without Hamlet knowing. These two decisions suggest their inability to communicate. Instead, spying is required for Gertrude to find out about her son's inner mentality. The mother and ...
It can also be assumed that another reason Gertrude married Claudius so hastily after the death of her first husband is that she wanted to keep her status as queen. Originally Hamlet was supposed to step up as king since his father died. If that would have taken place, whoever Hamlet marries would be the new queen, presumably Ophelia. Gertrude could have very well married Claudius for greed. She could have very well married Claudius to keep her position as queen. Furthermore, the line “Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast…” in Act One Scene Five insinuates that Gertrude had been the lover of Claudius even before Hamlet’s father died. An adulterous act can only be committed by definition when a person has a lover, and have sex with another. If they had gotten together after the late king’s passing it would not be considered adulterous. Gertrude’s selfishness is illuminated with that very scene, because she was only thinking about herself and her own desires when getting involved with Claudius. The late king’s expression of betrayal towards Gertrude aide Hamlet create a dreadful plan of action to confront his mother for her wrong doings. Thus, proving that Gertrude’s selfish ways helped to lead the dreadful events of the
Hamlet’s relationship with his mother Gertrude is one of mostly rage, hatred, and possibly jealousy that could have been from loving her in a romantic sense. Hamlet finds out that Gertrude marries his father’s brother soon after his father’s death and goes in a fury. He yells at her and he calls her an incestuous beast. Whether or not this is from hatred for Claudius, Gertrude, or even out of jealousy are all cases that can be very well argued. The fluctuating emotions that Hamlet shows throughout is what makes the play so easy to relate to as a human and also what makes the possibility of there being multiple interpretations on how he really feels. Gertrude is also a strange character in that it seems as
In the play Hamlet, Gertrude is very complex. She is a wife, mother, widow and queen and is vital to the action of the play. She lies to herself about the consequences of her actions of marrying her dead husband’s brother. Gertrude changes throughout the play and her relationships with other characters help develop the plot. Gertrude is, more so than any other character in the play, the antithesis of her son, Hamlet. (Introduction p 1)
The first question raised of Gertrude’s actions is why she so hastily married her brother in law? Some speculate that she perhaps had an affair with Claudius before the death of the late king Hamlet. However, it can be seen that Gertrude, oblivious to the fact that Claudius murdered her late husband, decided to marry him so that she doesn’t lose her position of power in the royal family. How do we see that she didn’t conspire against her late husband? We see as the audience that Gertrude is innocent to this crime is when the ghost of the late king Hamlet confronts his son and reveals the culprit of his own murder. The ghost king tells prince Hamlet this of his uncle Claudius: