Editing Akron, Ohio (section)

==Education==
{{See also|Category:Education in Akron, Ohio|List of University of Akron people}}
[[File:University of Akron Student Union.jpg|thumb|The Student Union at the [[University of Akron]]]]

Preschool, elementary, and secondary education is mainly provided by the [[Akron Public Schools|Akron City School District]]. The district's planning began in 1840 when Ansel Miller proposed building free public schools for all children, funded by property taxes. After facing opposition, Miller teamed up with Isaac Jennings, who became chair of a committee to improve the school system. On November 21, 1846, their plan was unanimously approved by citizens, and the Ohio Legislature adopted it as "An Act for the Support and Better Regulation of the Common Schools of the Town of Akron" on February 8, 1847.<ref name="akronschools.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.akronschools.com/dotAsset/13842.pdf |title=History of the Akron Public Schools |access-date=September 9, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801222811/http://www.akronschools.com/dotAsset/13842.pdf |archive-date=August 1, 2012  }}</ref>

Akron's first public schools opened in the fall of 1847 and were led by Mortimer Leggett. he first annual report showed that it cost less than $2 a year to educate a child. By 1857, the annual operating cost had risen to $4,200 (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=4200|start_year=1857}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}). Primary schools were taught by young women, who were paid less and supervised by a male superintendent. From 1877 to 1952, Akron graduated students semi-annually instead of annually. In the 1920s, an Americanization program was designed to help the many Akron students who were first-generation Americans.<ref name="akronschools.com" /> All Akron public schools are going through a 15-year, $800 million rebuilding process.<ref name="Education Alternatives in Akron Ohio"/> The city's schools have been moved from "Academic Watch" to "Continuous Improvement" by the [[Ohio Department of Education]].<ref name="Akron Public Schools General Information"/>

Akron also has many private, parochial and charter schools. As part of his charitable foundation's initiatives in the city, [[LeBron James]] founded the [[I Promise School]], which serves underprivileged kids.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lebronjamesfamilyfoundation.org/i-promise-school/|url-status=live|title=I Promise School|publisher=LeBron James Family Foundation|date=May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208020054/https://www.lebronjamesfamilyfoundation.org/i-promise-school/|archive-date=February 8, 2022|access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Green|first=Erica L.|date=April 12, 2019|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/12/education/lebron-james-school-ohio.html|title=LeBron James Opened a School That Was Considered an Experiment. It's Showing Promise.|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://blackeoejournal.com/2022/02/jasmine-jordan-creating-lane-jordan-brand-wnba-stars-finding-shes-michael-jordans-daughter/|title=Lebron James: Five Humongous Charitable Donations|journal=Black EOE Journal|date=January 2021|access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref> Akron was served by the [[Akron Digital Academy]] from 2002 to 2018, when it shut down.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 6, 2018 |title=Akron Digital Academy Quietly Closes as Other Online Charter Schools Face Hefty State Fees |url=https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/Akron-Digital-Academy-Quietly-Closes-as-Other-Online-Charter-Schools-Face-Hefty-State-Fees.html |access-date=August 28, 2022 |website=GovTech |language=en}}</ref>

The city is home to the [[University of Akron]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ppg.com/en/newsroom/news/Pages/20090827.aspx |title=PPG Industries – PPG donates $5,000 to University of Akron |publisher=Corporateportal.ppg.com |date=August 27, 2009 |access-date=January 24, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513162037/http://www.ppg.com/en/newsroom/news/Pages/20090827.aspx |archive-date=May 13, 2010  }}</ref> Originally Buchtel College, the school is home of the [[Goodyear Polymer Center]] and the National Polymer Innovation Center.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://plasticsnews.com/headlines2.html?id=16599 |title=University of Akron breaks ground for $13 million polymer center |publisher=Plastics News |access-date=October 1, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715092401/http://plasticsnews.com/headlines2.html?id=16599 |archive-date=July 15, 2011 }}</ref> Part of the [[University System of Ohio]], the university enrolls approximately 15,000 students.<ref>{{cite web|title=Enrollment Data|url=https://www.uakron.edu/ir/student-enrollment|website=University of Akron|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>