At Arthur and Polly Mays in South Miami-Dade, students can learn beat boxing in chorus. In dance, a mix of modern and African moves. And in television production, how to broadcast the morning news.

The school debuted last year as the Arthur and Polly Mays 6-12 Conservatory of the Arts, one of the newest magnet programs in Miami-Dade. Already there are more than 300 applications for next year.

The Jan. 15 deadline is fast approaching for entrance this fall to the 340 magnet programs in 100-plus schools. Each one lets students focus on a particular area, from acting to zoology.

At 10 a.m. on Monday at the new Mays Conservatory, sixth-grader Reahanna Inshanally had her braids pulled into a bun and her leotard and leggings on for jazz class. She had to audition to enroll, since it’s a performing arts program. “I was nervous and shy, but when I started dancing I felt alive and free,” she said. “Dancing takes my mind off things.”

In 2011, the school district received more than 50,000 applications for magnets. That’s up from 30,000 applications in 2009 and 40,000 in 2010. Overall, there are about 15,000 seats. Students can apply to more than one.

The application process opened in October, and students can submit applications online, in person or in the mail. Because Jan. 15 falls on a Sunday this year, the application — if mailed — must be postmarked Jan. 14. “We have people here Oct. 1, the moment the building opens. That doesn’t change the chances of the child. It’s the same chance who gets it in whether they submit their application in October or Jan. 14 or Jan. 15,” said Robert Strickland, Dade’s director for school choice and parental options.

MORE MAGNETS

While public school magnet programs were used to desegregate schools in the 1970s and ‘80s, they have evolved over the years.

Helen Blanch, assistant superintendent for school choice, said that today magnets are more about giving parents a choice in their child’s education. But they have not lost their power to create diverse classrooms. “By and large, they are the most diverse schools in the district,” she said.

Diversity — in particular students from different economic classes — can play a role in academic performance, said Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a policy institute in Washington, D.C.

“If you’re trying to improve academic achievement, the research suggests the economic mix is even more important than the racial and ethnic mix,” Kahlenberg said. “The research suggests it’s the benefit of being in a middle class or upper middle class environment that helps low-income students of all colors.”

Magnets also help compete with a growing number of charter schools.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools has aggressively expanded its school choice offerings in recent years. With another 18 new programs launched this year, the district has increased its magnet offerings by about 30 percent since 2007. There are more options, more locations and franchises, like science-themed MAST programs in Hialeah and Homestead. The most popular magnets in Miami-Dade tend to foreign language programs and international studies, such as the International Baccalaureate, Blanch said.

Kristina Beard, who is the lead magnet teacher at Arthur and Polly Mays, said she’s seen the culture change at the school. She previously taught there two years ago and returned last fall. “It makes a big difference that for a lot of kids their favorite subject is the arts,” she said. “They know they have to keep up their grades or they’ll be kicked out of the program. It inspires them to be better.”

To be eligible for a magnet program, students must maintain a 2.0 GPA. Some programs, such as IB, require a 2.5.

HOW IT WORKS

For math, science and technology programs, applicants enter a lottery. Strickland said the lottery “assures equitable access” to all applications and students.

For talent-based programs in visual and performing arts, students must also audition or submit a portfolio of their work. Individual schools may also have additional requirements.

“We look for interest in the middle and high-school level. In the high-school level, though, we look more at talent than interest,” Beard said.

Miami-Dade programs have to recruit students out of their immediately boundary zones. The School Board’s policy requires that 25 percent of students attending a magnet school must live outside the boundary zones.

Students can have a better chance of getting a spot if they have a sibling already enrolled. “It doesn’t guarantee a seat, but it is an added weight,” Strickland said.

Another thing to consider: Transportation is not offered for all of the programs. Parents should contact the school directly for options. The school can help find a bus route with available space and give them a pass, if parents can drop their child at a stop on the route.

Blanch said that even if students don’t get their top choice, the district can help them find a similar program with open seats. Not all programs fill up immediately. The district plans to offer new programs in 2012, which will have a later application process.