Basketball star LeBron James has partnered with the Akron (Ohio) district to open an elementary school for at-risk children.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the I Promise School opened Monday in Akron for 240 third- and fourth-graders. By 2022, it will house grades one through eight and will have nearly 1,000 students.
James, a native of Akron who recently left the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, teamed up with the school system through the LeBron James Family Foundation.
All the students attending the I Promise School are under-performing in reading, math and other essential academic areas. The curriculum is STEM-based and will educate the kids through hands-on approach.
One example is a high-tech media lab that mirrors a television studio with live broadcasting capabilities. Students will be able to broadcast daily school updates, while learning the latest technology.
School days will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., July through May, to eliminate what educators call the "slide" that many kids experience over the summer. During the seven weeks between the next school year, various STEM-based camps will be offered.
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; 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; and an infusion of the so-called "Habits of Promise," which encompasses perseverance, perpetual learning, problem solving, partnering and perspective.
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