Not a single 8th grade student at left-wing activist and basketball legend LeBron James’ I Promise School in Ohio has passed the state’s math proficiency exam since 2019, according to a review by the local Akron Beacon Journal.
“Seeing himself in the faces of Akron’s youth, he’s dedicated his time and resources to eliminating many of the barriers most inner-city students and families face. He’s rolled all of his philanthropic efforts into the I Promise School, which he considers one of the greatest achievements of his lifetime,” says the school’s website.
The I Promise School was founded by James as a part of the Akron, Ohio public school system.
The elementary school was intended to help students who had preformed poorly in other schools.
In an attempt to help improve the students’ performance, it has smaller classes and more teachers than typical public schools in the area, and employs the “I Promise Method,” which consists of longer school days, emphasis on STEM curriculum, and a “we are family philosophy.”
Funding from James, whose net worth is estimated by some sources as north of $1 billion, has not been enough to make the school succeed, as test results have shown that students continue to display disastrously poor performances.
In addition to all 8th graders failing math tests for years, only 11 percent of 8th grade students were able to pass Ohio’s English exams.
As a result of the poor performances, the school was designated an Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) School, which requires intervention from the state.
James responded to the poor performance of his students by committing to continue with the project, although he did not indicate that any changes would be made to the method.
“We’re here for the ups and downs, and will continue to wraparound 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,” said James.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="28912 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=28912">19 Comments
LeBron couldn’t pass the math test either.
Crazy idea: If someone is not keeping up with math or English in 8th grade, maybe that person is not really suited to academic pursuits.
Shocker, I know.
Maybe such an individual should be steered to a vocational job-training track..
Crazy, I know.
Maybe that individual could become a skilled heavy equipment operator or any number of other things … BY AGE 17 or 18, instead of torturing him year in year out.
That’s how it has been done for most all human history.
Not everyone was cut out for an academic track SO WHAT jeeez
He has a school were the kids are just as uneducated as he is.
Yeah, but think of it this way: All the students have attained equality.
So the studnets at the LeBron James school for the LeBron James neighborhood in LeBron James home state, are as dumb as the guy they named their school after.
Makes perfect sense!
That’s like 10 years ago. Who cares about ancient history.
way to go queen bronnie! not only do you choke in big games, but you’ve failed an entire school of children
Is it perhaps the high melanin content that is adversely affecting the math and reading proficiency?
Perhaps they should teach Ebonics so the little darlings could excel at something…
All going according to democrats’ plan.
Make blacks illiterate, dependent on dole and fill them with hate to self-segregate.
I’m not a LeBron liker at all but I’ve got to give him credit for, at least, trying. Maybe he should reach out to some experienced, proven, maybe even non DEI Pros to get the job done right
The promise is that your child won’t learn anything that would make him independent of the govt.
Lebron always is seen with a book in his hand. Someone ask him to give a good book report on it.
Typical.
Being able to add, subtract, multiply and divide accurately is racist.
His heart and money were in the right place – who hired the staff and admin? did he rely on the public school system for this? Big mistake. He should insist the people he left in charge of the school be swept out and competent admin and teachers installed.
Lebron means well and gives much back to his community. He just needs to clean his house and teach those who will learn and give a hoot about improving themselves. The kids have to want to learn! where are the parents!!!
This is not correct. Look at the ohio.gov “report card” for the school. There is no data on the exam before 2023, and in 2023, 8% of eighth grade students passed the math portion. This is below the expectation for the state of 31%, but that would be expected when the SCHOOL WAS DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN WHO WERE ALREADY BEHIND. I’m not saying that’s great, but give the dude some credit and time for trying to help. If I know anything about LeBron, it’s that he will improve – and the school will improve.
Math is tough, but if not a single student has passed the test for five years, maybe the problem isn’t with the kids.
Perhaps it’s the teaching methods? Or maybe LeBron just thought basketball could solve any problem?
To improve results, students might benefit from strengthening their understanding of fundamental calculus concepts, which can help make math more approachable. For example, this doc https://edubirdie.com/docs/ohio-state-university/math-1151-calculus-i from Ohio State University could be a useful resource for grasping key mathematical principles.
Maybe instead of just funding the school, LeBron should bring in experienced educators with a proven track record. But hey, who needs effectiveness when good intentions are in play?