Special Academic Programs

OCR does not currently collect information on accelerated or special focus academic programs. There is, however, some evidence to indicate that such programs have an under-representation of minorities and girls. In addition, information on magnet schools could be used to determine whether these schools are useful in promoting desegregation.

Academic Program Offerings

The FRSS survey asked districts whether specific academic programs offerings were available at their districts. The list of programs included magnet, gifted and talented, advanced placement, and honors programs (Table 4 and Table 4 Continued). Four out of five districts(81 percent) offered gifted and talented programs (Figure 6). Slightly more than half of the districts offered advanced placement programs (54 percent) and honors programs (53 percent). Only 5 percent^* have magnet programs.

Large districts, urban districts, and Southeastern districts were more likely to offer the various academic programs. For example:

• Advanced placement programs were offered in 92 percent of large districts, 82 percent of medium districts, and 45 percent of small districts:
• Honors programs were available in 74 percent of urban districts, 56 percent of suburban districts, and 50 percent of rural districts; and
• Gifted and talented programs were offered in 99 percent of Southeastern districts, 82 percent of Western districts, 80 percent of Central districts, and 72 percent of Northeastern districts.

Program Enrollment Information by Student Characteristics

For those programs offered. districts were asked to indicate whether they could report enrollment information by student characteristics such as race/ethnicity, sex, disability, and LEP status (Table 4 and Table 4 Continued). More districts said they could report enrollment information by sex than by the other classifications (Figure 7). At those districts offering gifted and talented programs. for example, 94 percent said they were able to report enrollment information by sex, 87 percent by race/ethnicity, 84 percent by disability, and 82 percent by LEP status.