Magic Johnson wants to help high school dropouts

We have heard recently where District 150 apparently had an opportunity to team up with Magic "Ervin" Johnson to open a charter school. This little tidbit has left many wondering, what exactly is the deal with District 150 and Magic Johnson? 

Well... word is that Lathan has met at least twice with Clyde Gulley, the Regional Office of Education and a rep from the Magic Johnson Charter School. Apparently Magic would like to open Carver as a school for drop-out, offering vocational education. However, just like the Peoria Charter School Initiative (Quest), they need a district to partner with to issue diplomas. Lathan has said that she is not interested.  

Magic Johnson Enterprises, Johnson's company devoted to improving urban communities, will work with EdisonLearning, an educational services provider, on a dual-front approach to help support urban students, working under the name Magic Johnson-EdisonLearning Assist.

"Improving the quality of life for people residing in urban areas is my life's passion, and through Magic Johnson Enterprises, we have been part of positive change in these communities," Johnson said in a press release. "When just over 40 percent of students in Los Angeles, Houston, and Baltimore are graduating from high school; and less than 30 percent of black males in New York, Detroit, and Miami—steps need to be taken to recapture these students into the education system to better their opportunities in life."

The partnership will establish Magic Johnson Bridgescape Learning Centers to help urban high-school-age students who have either dropped out or are at risk of dropping out earn a high school diploma. EdisonLearning already operates eight Bridgescape Centers in Ohio and will open three new centers in Cincinnati this month (September 2011).

Bridgescape Centers combines face-to-face learning with online instruction to help tailor instruction to individual student's needs. Each center works with 100 to 150 students at one time.

For urban students still in school, Magic Johnson-EdisonLearning Assist will work with districts to incorporate Alliance School Turnaround Initiatives, which are aimed at boosting student performance in underperforming schools.

Each district will work with an EdisonLearning Achievement Team to design and implement a tailor-made turnaround model for their schools, complete with leadership development, curriculum improvements, and proven assessment systems, according to the initiative. Currently, EdisonLearning is providing school improvement/turnaround services to roughly 80 schools across Virginia, Maryland, Hawaii, Delaware, and Nevada. 

"Every student in the United States, regardless of ethnic or economic status, should have access to education that enables them to succeed," said Jeff Wahl, president and CEO of EdisonLearning. "Magic Johnson-EdisonLearning Assist provides an important safety net for students who have left or are at risk of leaving the traditional school setting. The positive impact of their success is important not only for the students themselves and their communities, but also the nation as a whole."

Why was the Magic Johonson Bridgescape charter school EdisonLearning) effort nixed by Lathan et al? Whatever happened to "parents needing choice" and Lathan's mission to give it? Weren't we lead to believe that this Board was all about charter schools? Why is this Magic Johnson charter school venture less worthy than say, ummm... Concept Management (Quest)? 

Those kids in Detroit don't have text books either

Whenever there is a post on some blog about rampant crime, closing schools and aging inner city neighborhoods, you are more than likely going to see somebody make a Detroit to Peoria comparison. Now that same comparison can be made when you talk about students being without text books for months.

Thousands of Detroit students without books for months

The 2011-2012 Detroit Public School year started on Sept. 6, with thousands of homes and streets all over the city adorned with signs that had the two-word slogan “I’m In” everywhere. Nearly two months into the school year, the one thing that is not in a lot of Detroit Schools right now are books.

“I know there is a shortage and there is an order and they are still sharing books,” said Andrew Hayes, whose son is a third-grader at Fisher Magnet Elementary on the city’s east side. “There are a lot of frustrated parents. They want the kids to have what they are supposed to have. At the beginning of the year, we were told that every student would have the textbooks. It’s seven weeks into school.”

Teachers at Cass Technical High School — the city’s largest high school — say that they are short nearly 2,400 textbooks in all grade levels. According to the Detroit Federation of Teachers, the deficiencies range across all subjects including English, chemistry, geometry, Spanish, and U.S. history.

Teachers at Cass say they are missing 950 chemistry books and 250 history books, while teachers at Priest Elementary-Middle School on Detroit’s southwest side say they are missing nearly 3,500 books. Priest has nearly 1,000 Kindergarten through eighth-grade students. The missing books are for K-6 English classes as well as science workbooks and workbooks with tear-out sheets.

Cass Tech’s original building was vacated in 2005 in favor of the current multi-million dollar building, which sits some 30 feet away. It stood abandoned for six years with desks and old books left behind in the blighted building before finally being demolished in August. Source