Jason Whitlock: “To no one's surprise, LeBron James' solution for the academic woes of at-risk Akron students is failing. Five years into the well-financed ‘I Promise School’, according to news reports not a single 8th grader can pass Ohio's math test, and just 8% of the entire student body can read at an appropriate level. LeBron James, it appears is not the second-coming of Joe Clark, the baseball bat carrying school principal immortalized in the movie ‘Lean on Me.’ As an educator the NBA superstar has far more in common with Elizabeth Halsey, the gold-digging, pot-smoking, corner-cutting harlot from ‘Bad Teacher.’ ‘I Promise’ is what happens when public relations managers convince a well-intentioned dumb jock to chase Muhammad Ali's legacy by using fame and influence to concoct a utopian vision of middle school for poor kids. ‘I Promise’ is a secular liberal fantasy. Taxpayers foot the overwhelming majority of the bill, a celebrity finances the luxuries, and corporate media writes glowing features at the school's launch, and return years later to explain away the failure by reminding everyone the decision makers meant well. ‘I Promise’ uses James' money to buy school uniforms, food for families, job placement services for parents, bikes and helmets for each student, Nike-themed decorations inside the building, and very soon-- affordable housing near the school. In LeBron's mind and the minds of his progressive handlers, a lack of uniforms, food, bikes, affordable housing, and a mother with a high paying job are all that stood in the way of LeBron being an honor roll student in junior high. Five years of ‘I Promise’ blows up that myth. America has been throwing money at schools for decades without any discernible progress. In order to excel, poor kids need the exact same thing as rich kids-- a father in the home. Preferably two of them. One should be called ‘daddy’ and the other should be called ‘Jesus Christ’ or ‘God.’ Kids need dads more than free lunch, bicycles, school uniforms, Nike shoes, and affordable housing. No serious person denies this. LeBron doesn't deny it. He's rich, famous, in great health and could live the life of Hugh Hefner if he desires. He chose to marry his high school sweetheart and build a family. He's given his three children what he was denied in childhood-- a stable home with two parents. He had every conceivable option and chose marriage and family. He should use his money, fame, and influence to promote marriage within the Black community to which he proclaims allegiance. How? By partnering with a church in Akron to promote the benefits of biblical marriage and a close relationship with our real father, Jesus Christ. Any athlete or celebrity serious about addressing the pathologies plaguing poor Black people should partner with a faith leader in church. Is it wiser to blow your money and credibility on bikes, helmets, and sneakers for junior high students? Black kids do not know or they have an improper relationship with their fathers -- daddy and Jesus. That is at the root of all of our problems. Affordable housing is a poor substitute for dear old dads. How many government and celebrity finance step-daddies, welfare affirmative action social justice initiatives, criminal justice reform, etc. have to fail before we accept God's family design as the solution? ‘I Promise’ is the definition of insanity. Only God's promise will work. Only the nuclear family can fix what's wrong in America. There are countless studies proving that intact families with involved dads produce high-achieving kids regardless of economic status or race. LeBron knows this but it's much easier to finance a small percentage of a school than to stand against the liberal matriarchy. It sounds like I'm picking on LeBron James, I'm not. I used to think the same foolish stuff in my 20s, 30s, and 40s. I did not place a high enough priority on family. I thought money could fix and/or improve everything. I thought responsibility FOR and accountability TO children and a spouse impeded happiness and fulfillment. I thought zip codes and economic status explained achievement gaps. I was a fool. I was not alone, LeBron James isn't alone either. Most of America, including the American citizens claiming religious faith do not really comprehend the importance of fathers. we give it lip service but we don't really believe it.” (Full Segment Above)
Watch Jason Whitlock of ‘Fearless’ call out NBA star LeBron James after news surfaced surrounding the academic shortcomings of LeBron’s ‘I Promise School’ in Akron, Ohio, as reportedly not a single eighth grader at the school has passed a state math test in three years.
Check out the segment above as Whitlock discusses his theory on why the school has whiffed so badly academically despite the exorbitant amount of resources that have funneled into the project since its erection in 2018.
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