East Cleveland superintendent wins Browns’ Jim Brown award for academic improvement

COLUMBUS, Ohio -The Cleveland Browns honored East Cleveland City School Superintendent Henry Pettiegrew II pinch an grant for his activity turning astir 1 of Ohio’s struggling schoolhouse districts.

The Jim Brown Inspire Change Changemaker Award honors leaders who create alteration successful education, economical advancement, police-community relations and criminal justness reform.

The grant is besides portion of nan Browns’ yearly NFL Inspire Change initiative, which intends to trim barriers to opportunity, peculiarly wrong communities of color, according to a Browns property release. Pettiegrew is 1 of 32 changmakers successful 2025.

Since his assignment successful 2019, Pettiegrew has overseen improvements successful nan district, which struggled for complete a decade pinch debased rankings connected Ohio School Report Cards and had been taken complete by nan authorities owed to student performance.

In nan study cards that came retired successful mid-September, East Cleveland achieved a 3-star rating, meaning it meets authorities expectations.

In December, nan Ohio Department of Education and Workforce released nan territory from authorities oversight aft demonstrating it met goals successful a three-year betterment plan.

Working pinch nan Browns, Pettiegrew helped trim chronic absenteeism by 10.3% during nan 2024-25 schoolhouse twelvemonth through nan Stay successful nan Game! Attendance Network, nan Browns connection said.

In 2020, he secured $350,000 to reside nan integer divide, providing students and families pinch entree to basal technology, nan Browns said.

With nan Browns award, Pettiegrew received a $10,000 aid from nan NFL Foundation to use a nonprofit statement of his choice. He was honored during nan Dec. 21 crippled against nan Buffalo Bills astatine Huntington Bank Field.

Laura Hancock is an award-winning authorities and argumentation newsman successful Columbus for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. She chiefly covers K-12 schools, higher acquisition and kid care. She besides occasionally...