JonLaw--yes, I agree....there are obviously some kids who are more gifted in math and others who are more verbal, for instance. This makes things tricky, because some of them are ready to write pages and pages while others need a lot of help with basic composition. Some could be working 3-4 grades ahead in math while others are probably best served by a compacted curriculum one grade ahead at most. Then there are quite a few outside the box kids who are obviously artistic, creative, and not as "schooly." The limitations of the magnet model are pretty obvious; yet it's the best option I can see for us right now. The best thing they've done is incorporate a ton of fairly open-ended special projects which the kids can customize to their interests and talents.
