Charter schools/magnet schools.

The Algiers Charter School Association (ACSA) (LA) has seen a surge in students in the last month, with enrollment rising 32 percent from 3,138 students on the first day of school to more than 4,000 students currently in classes. ACSA spokesman David Grubb said that the schools collectively are at 90 percent capacity. Mr. Grubb stated that ACSA schools might be a more stable option for parents because ACSA has been operating schools since December of last year. The other major public school option in the New Orleans area is the state-run Recovery School District. [More-The Times-Picayune] (Sept. 3)

On August 28, the same day that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, a charter school bearing his name celebrated its opening in Springfield (MA). The school's curriculum is based on Dr. King's teachings and philosophy of peace, citizenship, and community. This year, the Martin Luther King, Jr., Charter School of Excellence will serve 180 students in kindergarten through second grade. Eventually, the school will grow to serve 360 students through fifth grade. [More-The Republican] (Aug. 29)

A new charter elementary school based in the Ravenswood City School District (CA) opens this year to 150 kindergarten, first, and sixth grade students. By 2010, the East Palo Alto Academy: Elementary School plans to expand to a full kindergarten through eighth grade model. Sponsored by the Ravenswood district, the school was founded by Stanford University's School of Education. The new charter school is intended to be a training site for individuals going through Stanford's teaching program. [More-Palo Alto Online] (Aug. 29)

Among the amenities at the new Western Connecticut Academy of International Studies in Danbury (CT) are an ampitheater, individual art and music rooms, a large gymnasium with a rubber mat floor, outdoor classrooms, and a planetarium. Danbury High School senior Christopher Ziegler, who volunteered to give tours of the school to newly enrolled students and their families, marveled, "[There are] themed hallways. All seven continents are represented, and the United Nations has a corridor!" The regional magnet school, housed on the campus of Western Connecticut State University, opens for the first time this year, serving 267 kindergarten through fourth grade students. A fifth grade will be added next year. [More-The Redding Pilot] (Aug. 24)

Tangipahoa Parish is one of several southeastern Louisiana parishes that have seen residential and student population growth since the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina last year. Tangipahoa recently opened a pilot magnet school at Hammond Eastside Primary School. Students must pass tests to gain entrance into the 100-slot program. The curriculum offers visual and performing arts, music, science, and foreign language programming. Hammond Eastside is one of 36 other sites that are opening for the upcoming school year. [More-The Advocate] (Aug. 16)