Magnet schools are one of the options that parents have to help their children receive a good education. Before the 1960's, parents had to have financial means to be able to choose what school your children could attend. However, today magnet schools are available across the nation and are public institutions.
             Magnet schools are schools or educational centers that offer a special curriculum capable of attracting substantial numbers of students from a variety of racial backgrounds. (Gamoran 1) Magnet schools were established to meet federal requirements for desegregating public schools. However, magnet schools have become excellent alternatives for students of poor schools today. (3)
             For many years parents have wanted their children to have the best education available. During the 1950's and 60's, this was not possible for people of color. Without the financial means, many parents couldn't afford to send their kids to the best schools. These children had to attend the poor schools in their neighborhoods. If the district in which one resided were poor, their children's education would be, too. The textbooks and buildings for these students were of very poor quality. Consequently, a learners' self-esteem was diminished. Only black teachers could teach at black schools. Black teachers' salaries were much lower than that of their white counterparts. White teachers were paid more and had many more benefits than black teachers. While black teachers worked hard to educate their students, the outdated books made it hard for them to do so. The books had been handed down from the white schools after many years of usage. Subsequently, the education of a black student was not equivalent to that of a white student's.
             As a desegregation strategy, children and teachers were assigned to magnet schools. This helped to break up the segregation of schools because parents place their child ...