The sports world is still studying Monday night’s NBA duel between former teammates LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. But, while James, now a Los Angeles Laker, turned up the heat in an overtime win, the students at his I PROMISE School in Akron were busy preparing for their math assessment. TheVillageCelebration’s Najah Goldstein talked with the leader of the school founded by the three-time NBA champion, Principal Brandi M. Davis.
TheVillageCelebration: How was the idea for the I PROMISE School developed?
Principal Brandi M. Davis: The school was a vision, a dream realized by LeBron James. He always wanted to have a school that catered to the needs of at-risk students who were just like him when he was in school.
TheVillageCelebration: What makes the school different from other public or charter schools?
Principal Brandi M. Davis: We’ve incorporated breakfast in the classroom, I PROMISE Circle in the morning and after lunch to create the calming environment…that ‘We Are Family’ philosophy inside and outside of the classroom.
TheVillageCelebration: What are the three principles on which the school was founded?
Principal Brandi M. Davis: The first is STEM-infused curriculum. We are a STEM-designated school. We know that students learn best by doing hands-on, problem-based learning approaches. We wanted to ensure that we sought out that STEM designation so that we can have that proper training for our teachers to support our kids. We also use the common core curriculum from the state of Ohio so everything we do around lesson planning is centered around our standard safe-learning approach. Our second component is trauma supportive services. We know that having at-risk students at our school that some students are going to bring some baggage. We realize we need to address that safety, security, and relationship component even before we can attack academics. Our third component for our school is our family wrap-around support. We have an in-house family resource center. It’s there to bring in our families and provide them with the support that they need. There’s a benefits counselor from our county, our food bank as well as working with different partners for our Project Learn, which is our GED program. Students and families can learn beside one another. We feel that’s the missing component to urban education.
TheVillageCelebration: How much is LeBron James involved with the I PROMISE School?
Principal Brandi M. Davis: LeBron is involved in every aspect of the school. Many of the resources and layers of support you find layered into “I PROMISE School” and its on-site Family Resource Center is everything he and his mother, Gloria, needed when they were growing up in Akron. LeBron does have his day job, but he gets regular updates on the students and their progress as well as their families, and he follows everything going on at IPS very closely (as you can see on his social media). His commitment to the students and families at IPS is a lifetime commitment, and he and his Foundation are doing everything they can to eliminate as many barriers and challenges they face as possible.
TheVillageCelebration: What plans do you have for students and the school moving forward?
Principal Brandi M. Davis: We already have our third and fourth-grade students. The plan is to have first and second-grade students next year and by 2022 have the school complete with first through eighth-grade students.
