Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 November 2008
Magnet schools have had a significant influence on second language learning in the last two decades. Designed to reduce racial isolation by attracting students to a desegregated setting, magnet schools offer an attractive option for parents willing to consider alternatives to their neighborhood school. Since the 1970s and continuing through today, school systems have found that second language programs are an effective means of drawing parents and their children to new school settings. As a result, language magnets have proliferated and have had a profound impact on language instruction throughout the U.S.