New York City is generally touted for its diversity. However, in recent years, research has shed light on the fact that it is also home to one of the most segregated public school systems in the country. A study conducted by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA found extreme isolation among minority groups in schools in many parts of the city (Kucsera & Orfield, 2014). A school-level analysis of segregation in the city done by the advocacy group Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York found that 41% of the city’s schools do not reflect the racial composition of their districts (Swaak, 2020).
To combat trends of increasing racial and economic isolation of students in its schools, New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) has turned to magnet schools as a mechanism to promote choice for students and families, providing opportunities for them to pursue school options outside of their neighborhoods which are often as segregated as the schools. The city’s admission process fosters choice by allowing families to select schools in or outside of their attendance zone. Thus, magnet schools have been an important lever for the city to encourage families to “vote with their feet,” and opt for school options beyond the confines of their neighborhoods.
Magnet schools are regular public schools with a specialized theme and curriculum for the express purpose of attracting students and families to the school. Magnet schools use race-neutral admissions criteria yet seek to promote diversity by enrolling students from a mix of neighborhoods that are home to students from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The U.S. Department of Education supports investment in magnet schools through the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP), a discretionary grant that provides five-year “seed” money to local educational agencies to develop new or significantly revise existing magnet schools for the purposes of fostering diversity and equity, improving student achievement, and building capacity for sustainability.
Building a System of Magnet Schools across NYC
Metis has collaborated with NYCPS for almost four decades to provide grant writing, technical assistance, and evaluation support to its ecosystem of magnet schools. Beginning in 1988 with Metis’s first grant writing engagement with District 1 in lower Manhattan, Metis has worked with half of the city’s community school districts (CSDs) to plan, develop, and write 36 applications to the U.S. Department of Education’s Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP). These applications have secured more than $238 million to expand the city’s system of magnet schools across a range of neighborhoods in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. These MSAP-funded schools have provided expanded opportunities for elementary, middle and high school students to attend schools with a commitment to educational equity and diversity.
Our partnership with NYC magnet schools goes beyond grant writing. We have served as the external evaluators of MSAP-funded initiatives for more than 25 grants to 21 of the 32 NYC CSDs. As the school system’s evaluation partner, our role goes well beyond assessing compliance with grant requirements. We serve as a trusted partner to the districts and schools, gathering formative and summative feedback on program implementation (both challenges and successes) and impact on students, teachers, and schools. Through our evaluations we interact with stakeholders at multiple levels of the magnet programs, from district and school leaders to grant-funded personnel and instructional staff to students, parents, and community members to hear about their magnet school experiences and lift their voices as valued members of the evaluation process. We integrate stakeholder feedback with quantitative data on student applications to and enrollment in magnet schools, proficiency on state assessments, and mastery of 21st century skills, as well as survey data from school staff, parents, and students. Together, these data inform implementation feedback to the district and school teams and identify effective practices across schools so we can provide timely and actionable recommendations aligned to the goals of the MSAP grant
Making an Impact on Student Experiences and Outcomes
Over our three+ decades working with magnet schools in New York City, we have seen their value in the communities they serve as well as the larger school system. Over the past several MSAP funding cycles, most of the funded magnet schools have been successful at increasing racial and ethnic diversity in their student populations and increasing student proficiency rates in English language art and math.
Additionally, a major benefit of the magnet programs in the schools was seen during the pandemic. Across all magnet schools that were funded within that period, teachers and administrators reported that the magnet programs had well-positioned them to address the changing learning and socioemotional needs that students were facing during the pandemic. All schools used the MSAP grant to adopt 1:1 laptops or iPads and to train teachers in technology integration, using tools such as Google Classroom, Nearpod, Flipgrid, and others that became essential for remote instruction. The magnet schools also used the grants to invest heavily in building teacher capacity, providing a range of professional development to expose them to new technologies, as well as innovative instructional practices that enhance inclusivity and equity in classrooms, such as project-based learning, and culturally responsive and sustaining education. In spring 2024, thousands of magnet school educators and community members from around the country came to see the NYC magnet schools in action when the city was selected by Magnet Schools of America to host its annual conference.
Metis’s role in the achievements of the NYC magnet schools is indirect, but one that we are proud to play. Our close relationship with the NYC magnet staff and schools over the past 30 years has allowed us to become trusted advisors. We often participate in the district teams’ internal meetings with schools to share information and lessons learned from the evaluation. We prepare biannual or more frequent evaluation reports, highlighting successes and challenges of school- and district-level implementation and drawing conclusions about best practices that are shared broadly across the NYC magnet school community. Most importantly, we provide the data and feedback that the districts and schools need to ensure the U.S. Department of Education that the magnet schools are fulfilling their goals for promoting diversity and equity for all learners.
NYCPS’s magnet school strategy shows how thoughtful program design, strong funding, and rigorous evaluation come together to address complex equity challenges. Explore our MSAP focus area, grant writing services, and program evaluation services to learn more.