Back in 2018, NBA superstar LeBron James made a very selfless investment back into his community when he opened the I Promise School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. The school had the goal of transforming the lives of at-risk students and parents in the community, but it seems that it’s struggling to achieve that kind of change.
This week, a report from the Akron Beacon-Journal shared some pretty shocking news about the school, revealing that none of the students in this fall’s class of eighth graders has passed the state’s math test in five years – since the group of students was in eighth grade.
It’s a situation that has Akron Public Schools Board President Derrick Hall disappointed and concerned.
“For me as a board member, I just think about all the resources that we’re providing,” 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.”
It’s a pretty concerning situation, but many people were quick to point out that the school brings in at-risk students who are often already behind in their academics, which factors into the low test scores.
These trash aggregators write out stuff like this with 0 context and no links back to the original source and people take it as gospel. The context is that “I Promise” takes on students that are often 2 and 3 years behind. They’re pouring resources into the most vulnerable kids https://t.co/lrSAe30zBa
— Nate Jones (@JonesOnTheNBA) July 31, 2023
comments are crazy b/c no one bothered to learn why this is. His school intentionally takes on under-performing students (many of whom have developmental and learning disabilities) who often wouldn’t have the care or chances elsewhere. We’re also still coming off the pandemic 💀 https://t.co/LzEhu1r8cE
— A. Philip Railroad (@PYZC773) July 31, 2023
Outraged with the guy who gave opportunities to kids and teachers with money he’s earned through his hard work and sacrifice that he doesn’t have to give back with .. someone should step up for him and try to help fix the situation give back to him indirectly ! https://t.co/J9nTrmWSgR
— Gareon Conley (@_gconley8) July 30, 2023
This headline is somewhat misleading. The “I Promise” school was specifically designed for extremely underperforming and perpetually truant students. So the students there may still be failing to meet state standards, but still on a much better trajectory than they were before. https://t.co/bhXHUDtXfQ
— P.B. Gomez (@NotoriousPBG) July 30, 2023
Still, it’s clear that the numbers are disappointing, and the school will likely hope for improvement in the near future.
