LeBron James has done incredible work in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, including the I Promise School he opened to help children in the area have the proper resources they need for academic excellence. However, with such a large undertaking, it seems some important milestones have slipped through the cracks.
The Akron Public Schools system has expressed concern over the 0 percent in math proficiency the school’s eighth-grade students received on the institution’s district report card. According to NBC WKYC Studios, APS data shows the same class of students has not had a passing score for Ohio’s math test since they were in third-grade five years ago. On Monday, July 24, members of Akron’s school board spoke on the ‘discouraging’ numbers reflected by the school, which operates on support from the LeBron James Family Foundation as a safe haven for at-risk children who are considered one to two grade levels behind their peers due to systemic and socioeconomic factors.
“For me as a board member, I just think about all the resources that we’re providing,” school board President Derrick Hall said. “And I just, I’m just disappointed that I don’t think, it doesn’t appear like we’re seeing the kind of change that we would expect to see.”The I Promise School released an official statement alongside news of hiring a new principal to start the fall semester in which they promised to stay committed to their goal of making their scholars academically competitive.
“When we started this work to wraparound students through education, we entered this partnership with Akron Public School for the long haul. Because this work requires a long-term commitment, hard work, and a lot of love and care,” the statement read. “And that’s what we bring each and every day because the I Promise School is more than a school. We’re here for the ups and downs, and will continue to wrap around our students and their entire families so they can be successful in school and in life, no matter the challenges and obstacles that come their way.” The school’s new principal, Stephanie Davis
, also shared words about the renewed dedication I Promise has to its students. “One of the things I’m most excited about coming into the I Promise School is the optimism and energy around getting our students to a level of achievement we know they’re capable of,” she said.