Shining the Light on The Success of Jalen Rose’s Leadership Academy (JRLA)
Often when we hear of professional athletes giving back to their communities we tend to think of it as a monetary donation, youth camp, or even a food bank that occurs annually. We rarely hear about athletes opening up schools (outside of LeBron & Russell Wilson) or community centers because it’s simply not talked about enough. A perfect example is former professional basketball player, Jalen Rose, who founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA) in Detroit, MI in 2011. The Jalen Rose Leadership Academy is a tuition-free public charter high school on the northwest side of Detroit focused to give black and brown kids opportunities to have a better education.
JRLA serves over 400 ninth through twelfth grade scholars and nearly 500 alumni from the inner Detroit area. The JRLA scholars are provided with exemplary academics in addition to extensive college exposure via university tours and other resources that will guide them in their path for success. JRLA’s continued focus is to support their scholars from high school graduation through college graduation through their College Success Team. JRLA currently has a 98% graduation rate and 100% college or other post-secondary acceptance rate.
The State of Michigan’s average graduation rate from public schools is between 62-64% annually and JRLA has exceeded that in just 10 years of opening. To put educational costs into perspective for the Michigan area, the top private schools are the most expensive averaging up to $30k per year with an estimated sum of $120k for all four years. The state recently decided to cut educational funding for public and charter schools which have been widely noted as unjust and unfair. The JRLA receives zero state funding for its facilities but are supported through Jalen Rose, corporate sponsors, and other organizations. One notable sponsor is Tom Gores, founder of the Tom Gores Family Foundation and owner of the Detroit Pistons, who has helped partner with Jalen Rose and his team to build JRLA from the ground up.
Mr. Gores stated “Jalen and the team at JRLA have created an environment that is changing lives for students and their families in Detroit. Investing in education, especially in communities that too often go overlooked, is vital in the fight for social justice and equality. Kids in our community need better opportunities and a more level playing field and it’s clear that what JRLA is doing works.”
Over the past 10 years, Jalen Rose has transitioned his passion from basketball into the growth and success of the JRLA because he feels that every black and brown child should have the opportunity to have a better education and feel empowered about themselves. Jalen stated in an interview, “I always felt it was important to try to give back, No. 1, to my community, but also to the less fortunate, and understand that we need everybody to have opportunities in order to actually have harmony in our country. My way of trying to influence was through education.” The JRLA is attributed by any and everybody that has dedicated their time, energy, and money into the Academy.
We as a community love to hear stories like this and appreciate everything that Jalen Rose and his team are doing! For more information on the JRLA, please visit https://www.jrladetroit.com/.
