One year after opening, LeBron’s I Promise School is thriving. In just one year, ninety percent (90%) of the students at the LeBron James I Promise school
90% of I Promise students who met their goals exceeded the 70% of students
The Akron based school opened last July. The school initially took in only students that we designated at high risk. I Promise School is a public elementary school supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation. The inaugural class consists of 3rd and 4th graders. The school hopes to continue growing. It currently consists of 240 students, but the plan is to make the school fully operational with enhanced grade levels by the 2022 school year.
So how did the LeBron James I Promise School have this kind of success? And can this be duplicated around the country? This model can be duplicated. We know which schools need a reboot, so why not restart some of our lowest performing schools using the I Promise School Model?
Give kids a space to be successful. Provide them with great teachers who look like them and can relate to them. Help their parents better themselves. Feed them. And finally…promise them a future. As you can see, they will show up for it.