A research paper published by the Columbia University Teachers College National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education finds that the impact of magnet schools on academic outcomes is unclear because studies have suffered from methodological limitations.

Some compared the achievement of magnet and non-magnet students without controls for initial differences in achievement, some used poor data, and most studies can't determine if it was the quality of the magnet schools that make the students successful or if the parental support they receive would have contributed to higher achievement, regardless of the school they attended.

The National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education provides independent, non-partisan information on and analysis of privatization in education. This report can be viewed at www.ncspe.org/list-papers.php.

This article, written by Jenel Few, appeared in the Savannah Morning News on June 27th, 2006.

Published Wednesday, Jun. 28, 2006