I am a big sports fan and was so happy to see LeBron James invest some of his great wealth into public schools in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. I hope educational researchers do some long-term research on the students there to see if this model can be replicated in other public schools serving disadvantaged populations.
The Akron Public School District is spending 8.1 million dollars and LeBron’s Foundation is chipping in another over 2 million dollars to support the school. The model provides much support outside the regular classroom teaching. Parents will get job placement, GED and counseling to allow them to live better lives and be able to support their children in school better. All students receive a bike to promote health and give them transportation. Many poor families do not own cars and public transport is not comprehensive in Akron. There will also be extra summer sessions focusing on STEM education, extended school days, etc. to keep the students out of their troubled neighborhoods and not supervised. The best thing about the school, in my opinion, is graduates get free tuition at Akron University.
I see growing inequalities in the USA and the best way to attack this and lift families out of poverty is to give them the advantages of middle and upper-class families. The government and private citizens and organizations need to build our education system. I applaud LeBron James and the Akron School District on this project and wish them the best for the students.
TIS Director's Blog 
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