District Receives Magnet School Grant

The Moorpark Unified School District will receive $850,000 as part of $100 million in magnet school grants being awarded by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to school districts in 15 states. 

The money will help fund an active learning academy at Arroyo West and a college prep academy at Campus Canyon Elementary.

Marilyn Green, director of grants, assessment, and special projects for the Moorpark Unified School District, describes the grant as "seed money to help us get started." Because Green and her staff have a successful history with magnet funding (the district has received two previous such grants) their hope is that eventually all six of the district's elementary schools will participate in a magnet-based curriculum.

"Our interest in this is part of that ongoing effort. All of our schools are diverse and we would like to keep it that way," Green said.

Magnet schools, which were born out of the civil rights movement, are designed around a common curriculum theme, in contrast to charter schools, which are funded by a school district but operate independently and design their own curriculums.

Arroyo West will have a curriculum that Green describes as " project-based and student-centered." Students will be focused on individualized reading and writing.

"Instruction will be more activity oriented," she said, "and aimed at keeping students engaged all day long."

Campus Canyon will form a partnership with nearby Moorpark College.

"This magnet will implement a schoolwide enrichment model," Green said.

Students at Campus Canyon will have enrichment as part of their instruction, an emphasis on higher level thinking skills and extra enrichment for all students. Campus Canyon will also use its magnet funding to transition to a K-8 school, adding a grade level each year.

At a time when state funds for school districts are dwindling, these types of enrichment grants are key to providing teachers with additional training, time for curriculum development and supplemental materials, Green said.

"It's such a joy to have federal funding to be able to bring these programs in and give teachers the extra support they need," she said.

The Moorpark district has received two similar magnet grants in the past to help support new and innovative curriculum development. One grant was for a school for the visual and performing arts at Walnut Canyon Elementary and the other for a school of math and science at Flory Academy. 

Given the change in Moorpark's demographics over the last 20 years, Green believes that magnet schools are important for bringing families from different backgrounds together in an educational setting. Rather than using desegregation to force parents and students into a common space, the programs are built around something more positive.

"Magnet programs may or may not have neighborhood boundaries. They're open to all who want to apply. In addition, they're built around a theme or focus," Green said.

In a state where ethnic diversity is increasing, magnet schools can help foster understanding, she said. 

"We're going to want to build a team spirit that creates friendships and understanding," she said.

For more information on the district's magnet programs, contact Green at 531-6420 or talk to any of the magnet school's participating principals.