Magnet School Jobs
Magnet schools are also a division of public schools. They can be found within a traditional school or can stand alone as their own institution.
Kindergarten through high school students are serviced by magnet schools. Unlike charter schools, they are not released from most of the public school district guidelines. Therefore, teacher benefits are identical to the district’s traditional public school teachers’.
One freedom sometimes provided to magnet schools is the administration does not have to follow the traditional hiring process. The administrator can interview any teacher in the district for a position and does not have to regard seniority. As a result, a district’s magnet schools are known for having an excellent teaching staff.
Magnet schools are also afforded more salary allowance. This can lead to increased pay for magnet teachers and helps ensure smaller class sizes. One reason magnet schools support small class sizes is they emphasize the creation of strong student-teacher relationships.
Created in the 1970’s, the goal of magnet schools is to provide students with the opportunity to advance in a certain discipline. Often found in larger districts, students can attend a magnet school that is outside of their district’s zone. A major goal of magnet schools has been to encourage diversity in the public schools. Most magnet schools are located in an urban setting.
The Federal government approved magnet schools as a method of school desegregation in 1975-1976. Since that time the number of magnet schools and the students who apply has increased. A lottery system is used to choose students at some magnet schools while others use a selection process. Some schools are only able to select less than 20% of the applicants who apply.
Magnet schools focus on a certain curriculum area or instructional approach. Some focus on areas of the curriculum like science, mathematics or the arts. We cover art teacher jobs and other specialist teacher jobs later in this section.
Others might focus on an instructional approach like Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Career-based magnet schools are another common approach. Teachers who specialize in one of these areas may be motivated by the school’s focus.
In addition, magnet school teachers usually have more freedom with curriculum planning and educational decision making.
Studies have shown that magnet students have higher academic and extracurricular success than traditional public school students.
Innovative teaching practices are a cornerstone of magnet schools. Districts often try to implement successful teaching strategies from their magnet schools into the district as a whole.
Visit the following resource for more information about teaching at magnet schools.
Magnet Schools of America