For those interested in school choice but worried about resources and accountability, magnet schools may provide a solid third option.

My previous posts on school choice have focused on two distinct types: the first, encompassing inter- and intra-district school choice, simply allows parents a choice of existing schools either in their home district or within a greater regional area. The second type, charter schools, creates an entirely new set of innovative and specialized schools that are completely autonomous from the school district. Magnet schools offer a mix of these two options, creating innovative programs within the “typical” public school system.

With charter schools facing their fair share of criticism, magnet schools may be a viable and sustainable alternative. While magnet schools are certainly not new to the education reform debate, they provide a school choice option that offers innovative programs and a diverse student body while maintaining accountability and strengthening neighborhood schools.

Magnet schools were first used as a desegregation alternative to busing. The idea was that if a segregated district could create innovative schools centered on a specialized type of education (for example, a school focused on foreign languages or math and science), a variety of public school students from different neighborhoods and backgrounds would be attracted to it and it would become integrated. Today, magnet schools are viewed less as a desegregation tool and more as a superior public school option for students.

Magnet schools are strikingly similar to charter schools. Both provide innovative educational opportunities and both face criticism from those who worry about the schools hogging resources. Critics of magnet schools worry that magnet schools skim the best talent from the school district, including both students and teachers, while leaving the other schools in the district to deal with less motivated students and teachers. Some critics also argue that magnet schools take resources away from struggling neighborhood schools. If magnet schools take all of these things away, the argument goes, the neighborhood schools are left with the struggling students and fewer resources to help them.

But magnet schools go much deeper than charter schools and may actually be more sustainable. Charter schools operate independently from school districts, which provides them with more freedom and opportunity at the expense of accountability. In the worst cases, charter schools fall into the hands of people whose goal is the financial bottom line and they aren’t held accountable for mediocre performance. On the other hand, magnet schools are an inherent part of the school district. An important distinction between magnet schools and charter schools is that magnet schools operate under the control of the local school district. What distinguishes a magnet school from standard public schools is that its curriculum is based on a common theme and the school can enroll students from across the district or regional area. They create opportunities for innovation within the school district while following the district’s accountability structure.

Magnet schools are a way to provide innovative educational options and integrated schools as a way to boost student achievement. Many magnet schools have innovative curriculums with an emphasis on foreign language, science, math, technology, or the arts. They may also have long school days and stricter codes of discipline. Most importantly, a primary goal for magnet schools was and still is to move beyond the traditional neighborhood school and bring together students from across a school district or geographic area to create a diverse learning experience.

An example of a school district that has widely implemented magnet schools is my home school district, the West Hartford Public Schools in West Hartford, CT. West Hartford has two magnet schools, Charter Oak International Academy (elementary school) and Smith STEM School (elementary school). Charter Oak’s magnet focus is on the international student population and the cultures and societies of the world. Smith focuses on STEM – science, technology, engineering, and math. Both Smith and Charter Oak are located in what are arguably West Hartford’s poorest and most diverse areas, on its border with the city of Hartford.

The magnet school structure of both schools ensures that the children attending them are drawn from the neighborhood but also from the other areas of West Hartford, ensuring greater socioeconomic and racial diversity than if the schools were solely neighborhood schools. Further, the magnet structure of these schools allows them to implement innovative experiences for the students, including extended day (longer school day programs), early access to foreign languages, and early access to hands-on science experiments. Just check out the school profiles for Charter Oak and Smith. West Hartford’s magnet schools certainly have not skimmed talent or funding from the other West Hartford schools, but have instead provided innovative learning experiences in the tough neighborhoods of the town.

For critics of charter schools who are supporters of school choice, magnet schools are an option that allows for innovative programs and a diverse student body while maintaining accountability and strengthening neighborhood schools.

Amy Baral is a Roosevelt Institute | Pipeline Fellow performing legal and policy research on the Boston Public Schools, focusing on access to quality education and school choice. She is also a 1st year law student at Boston University School of Law.