Public Schools-With a Difference

Magnet programs were developed to educate those children who already have a career path in mind. These schools offer specialized instruction for everything from musical theater to medical technology and serve elementary, middle and high school students.

Sometimes magnet programs are located within traditional district schools, but there are also magnet schools structured entirely around a specific area of study.

Frequently, lotteries are used to choose children for these programs. Other times children are chosen based on a demonstrated capacity for the study area through grades, test scores and teacher recommendations. A portfolio review or audition may be part of the process for fine and performing arts programs, while some magnet schools require written essays as part of the application process.

Charter schools are public schools organized as nonprofit corporations and operated by parents, teachers, administrators and others outside the public school bureaucracy. Funding comes from the state in allotted portions per student.

These schools have the freedom to draft their own rules regarding curriculum, discipline, personnel and teaching formats. Typically smaller than traditional schools, charter schools are largely free to innovate and therefore able to accommodate the needs of underserved groups of students. Since 1996, the number of Florida charter schools has grown from only five to more than 200, with a total enrollment of more than 50,000 last year.

Charter schools select an individual mission or focus, but students are still required to pass statewide exams and fulfill state requirements.