AKRON, OHIO: I Promise School, which has been partially funded by LeBron James through his charitable foundation, is under investigation by the state after worrisome test results were made public. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, the public school in Akron, Ohio, which is affiliated with the LeBron James Family Foundation, has not had a single student in its fall eighth-grade cohort pass the state math test since the third grade.

According to the school's website, James' humanitarian venture saw him help the school commence in 2018 to serve "students who are already falling behind and in danger of falling through the cracks." Despite evidence showing that school children had improved year over year, some had actually regressed since enrolling in I Promise. According to the Journal, black children and pupils with impairments are testing "in the bottom 5%" in Ohio.

Who runs I Promise School?

The I Promise School (IPS) is a public elementary school in Akron, Ohio, that debuted in 2018, with funding from the LeBron James Family Foundation with a focus on at-risk students. The institution is a part of the Akron Public Schools district, and Brandi Davis is the first principal who later resigned over a slapping incident, reported by New York Post.

Derrick Hall, the president of the school board, finds the school's current situation depressing. "For me as a board member, I just think about all the resources that we're providing," Hall said, via the Journal. "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 district's director of school improvement, Keith Liechty-Clifford, reaffirmed the idea in the same report. He described the eighth-graders scores as "discouraging." The Journal claims that Liechty-Clifford presented data that showed both growth and decline at the Akron institution.

According to the Journal report, the percentage of students who were "reading proficiently" increased by more than a half, from 6% to 13%, among students transitioning from fourth to fifth grade. However, only 2% of the sixth graders in 2022 demonstrated competency, compared to 7% in the fifth grade. Similar to other state institutions, the school receives financing from the government on the state, local, and federal levels. The school costs taxpayers about $8 million a year, according to a Cleveland Plain Dealer investigation from 2018.

What did James Family Foundation say?

A statement on the subject was made public on Monday by the James Family Foundation, which has reportedly contributes $1.4 million annually for more tutors and teachers. "When we started this work to wraparound students through education, we entered this partnership with Akron Public School for the long haul," it said. "Because this work requires a long-term commitment, hard work, and a lot of love and care. And that's what we bring each and every day because the I Promise School is more than a school." The statement continued. "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."