LeBron James' "I Promise" School
AKRON, Ohio - When the LeBron James Family Foundation I Promise School opens today, 240 at-risk Akron school children will get their first glimpse at a pathway designed to spell success for themselves and their families.
The I Promise School, built through a partnership between Akron Public Schools and the foundation, will welcome third-and fourth graders at 400 West Market St in Akron. By 2022, it will house grades first through eighth and will number nearly 1,000 kids.
All the students attending the I Promise School are under-performing in reading, math and other essential academic areas. The current students were selected randomly from a larger group of at-risk kids. The curriculum is STEM-based and will educate the kids through hands-on approach.
Through the Family Resource Center, the school will offer the wrap-around services that some families need for day-to-day survival, from a daily food pantry stocked by the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank to GED classes for parents and caregivers.
In addition to an academic program, the I Promise School will use a "trauma-informed" approach to engaging students to show them a safe, supportive environment.
That includes:
Daily breakfast with their teachers
A daily time for social-emotional learning, to develop habits of promise, belonging and a sense of community
A daily supportive circle after lunch each day to help kids unwind from recess and refocus on learning
An infusion of the so-called "Habits of Promise," which encompasses perseverance, perpetual learning, problem solving, partnering and perspective
All the students will have breakfast, lunch and a snack each day. Those who live more than two miles from school will have daily bus transportation.
All told, more than 1,300 Akron school children and their families are in the I Promise program, which has a presence in all the schools across the district. All eligible students in the program who graduate from high school and complete specific classroom criteria are guaranteed a four-year college scholarship, which James partnered with the University of Akron in 2015 to provide.
More at: https://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2018/07/lebron_james_family_foundation_8.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=cleve_sf&__twitter_impression=true#incart_target2box_default_%23incart_target2box_targeted_
******* If only ALL public schools could be like this...
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is a retired Youngstown City Schools teacher.
