This mixed methods case study explores the role of magnet schools as a vehicle to promote integration and increase educational opportunity for historically underserved students in the U.S. public education system. Magnet schools were introduced in the 1970s and remain the most popular school choice option. Critics of magnet-based school choice contend that it exacerbates racial and social stratification, while proponents argue that it provides parents with the freedom to choose the school they believe offers their child the best education. The literature reveals two key facets associated with parent choice, factors and processes (Smrekar & Honey, 2015; Bell, 2009). This study explored the factors the research indicates have a major impact on parent choice and used bounded rationality and social capital theories to examine ways of understanding the decision-making process. The research indicates that parents identify academics to be the most significant school characteristic taken into consideration and reveals that race and school demographics may play more of an integral role than previously acknowledged (Smrekar & Honey, 2015). Moreover, the literature demonstrates that the selection process is complex and largely dependent on the context of the school and district (Smrekar & Honey, 2015). Key findings of this study were in alignment with the current literature. This study also included a review of magnet school admissions criteria and utilized critical race theory as a lens through which to examine and identify certain elements of district policies and practices that promoted equity and diversity.

Keywords: school choice, magnet schools, parent choice, admissions criteria, social capital, parental networks

Recent research suggests that bird populations are declining at alarming rates across the United States. Over the last century, local, national, and international efforts to limit declines in bird populations have resulted in state and federal laws that now protect most of California’s 650 bird species. To comply with these protections, transportation infrastructure projects often face strict mitigation requirements, which can be expensive and cause delays. Understanding a project’s effects on specific bird populations can refine mitigation requirements and optimize infrastructure planning.

The tools for identifying separate populations within species and understanding protected birds’ seasonal movement have been limited until recently. New genetic and genomic tools now provide a method for understanding population differentiation, which is vital to a wide array of conservation goals including estimating population declines, identifying potential for adaptation to stressors, measuring connectivity between populations, and estimating inbreeding. Because infrastructure projects can directly impact genetic diversity and connectivity, a toolkit to assess population structure and the distribution of genetic variation could aid in predicting and mitigating the impacts of such projects. As a test case, researchers at the University of California, Davis, sequenced entire genomes for 40 individual Anna’s hummingbirds (Calypte anna) from across California to identify breeding populations and develop a genetic toolkit to assign individuals to those populations. The presence of this species at bridge construction sites has resulted in construction delays in part because little information exists on the status of different populations within the species.

This research brief summarizes findings and implications from the project.

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Recent studies have highlighted alarming rates of declines in bird populations across the country. The State of California is home to over 650 resident and migrant avian species. Legislation for protecting these species has existed for over a century now, yet tools for identifying populations and understanding seasonal movement remain limited. Recently, genetic and genomic tools have provided a method for understanding population structure, allowing for more informed delineation of management units. The goal of this project was to create a genetic toolkit for identifying breeding populations and assigning individuals to those populations. Ultimately, such tools could be used to assess population-level impacts when there are conflicts with birds at infrastructure construction sites. As a test case, we sequenced entire genomes for 40 individual Anna’s hummingbirds (Calypte anna) from across the state. Based on this initial data, we found low levels of differentiation between sampled locations, suggesting that C. anna in California are not subdivided into different population units. However, there was a weak signal of geography suggesting there may be localized genetic differences in a small proportion of the genome. Follow-up work will focus on a broader sampling across the state of California to clarify any possible population subdivision or geographical patterns of differentiation.

View the NCST Project Webpage