Ken Hinton coming to Carver Center could mean Magic

If you recall back in April it was reported in the local newspaper that:

"Carver Center is being considered as a possible home for a Magic Johnson Bridgescape learning center program, which is designed for urban high school students who have dropped out, or who are at risk of doing so, but who want to earn a high school diploma.

The Bridgescape center program, if enacted in Peoria, would be the first in Illinois. The program was formed last year through a collaboration between Magic Johnson Enterprises, founded in 1987 by former Los Angeles Lakers great Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and EdisonLearning, a leading international educational service provider."

News that former Superintendent of PSD150, Ken Hinton is taking over Carver Center, renews hope that the Magic Johnson Bridgescape learning program could indeed find a home here in Peoria. It's certainly a plus that Mr. Hinton is also a former regional vice president for Edison Schools.

One familiar face in Peoria is making a re-emergence to civic duty.

The call to action came when the doors at one local community center shut last year. Former district 150 Superintendent Ken Hinton has long been known for educating young minds in the city of Peoria. Now Hinton is taking on a new job as Interim Director at Carver Center. His challenge reopening the center which closed last September due when the money ran out.

For months Hinton and a core group of supporters have worked behind the scenes gathering information to put into expanded activities he hopes will serve diverse groups. Right now the focus is on trying to get the building repaired which could costs up to $2 million.

Hinton realizes that turning George Washington Carver Center into a world class facility will take time but he's preparing a business model he says will support programs in his absence.

Carver Center hopes to get a sizable portion of tax increment financing money from the city of Peoria. Hinton says collaboration with other groups will be a big part of the agency's success. He's reached out to the United Way to restore funding the agency had lost and plans to seek more financial help through grants.

Hinton credits his family with a lesson he learned long time ago...serving others and he believes reopening these doors again will show residents what kind of valuable asset the center can become.

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)?