20/06/2013 19' 8''
Catalan

Magnet Schools emerged in the United States in the seventies as a means of remedying the racial segregation that was rife in public schools and disadvantaged areas. Through this educational project, governments boosted particular specialisations in the curricula of certain schools so that they would be distinctive and act as 'magnets' within their environment, fostering the involvement of students, families and teachers. The idea was to reconfigure the social make-up of the schools and improve academic outcomes.

Now, the Jaume Bofill Foundation and the Catalan government's Department of Education have launched the project 'Magnet. Alliances for Educational Success in Catalonia'. Drawing on the North American model, the project sets up connections between leading scientific and cultural institutions and educational centres that are in need of revitalisation or special attention. These alliances will allow participating centres to develop innovative, high-quality educational projects that will help to increase enrolments in the schools and make them a focus of attraction in their local areas.

The programme has been launched in pilot stage in three primary schools and one high school in Barcelona, and will broaden its scope over the next few years. The participating institutions during this first stage are MACBA, TV3 and the Institute of Marine Sciences. MACBA is collaborating directly with Escola Josep M. de Segarra and Institut Moisès Broggi.

SON[I]A talks to Roser Argemí, the head of the project at the Jaume Bofill Foundation, about the particularities of the Catalan model, the profile of the selected centres and the different types of alliances that are being formed.

Son[i]aeducationCreative CommonsRoser ArgemíMagnet Schools