Broadcaster Helped Akron Students With Language Skills

Sportscaster Rafa Hernandez-Brito boosted English proficiency rates at a local learning center.

Updated on Oct. 7, 2026 in Language Learning

Bold vector editorial illustration showing studio headphones resting on a stack of books, representing language learning and communication. — Broadcaster Rafa Hernandez-Brito’s language initiative at Akron's Jennings Community Learning Center contributed to a 17% rise in English proficiency test scores. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Over the past three years, broadcaster Rafa Hernandez-Brito has assisted English as a second language students at Akron's Jennings Community Learning Center. The program helped drive a 17% increase in test passing rates during 2025.

Why it matters

The initiative aims to help immigrant students overcome language barriers to enhance their long-term professional opportunities. By leveraging professional sports ties, the program provides tangible motivation for students to succeed in their language studies.

Of the 800 students enrolled at Jennings Community Learning Center, 218 are English as a second language learners. Passing rates for the state proficiency test grew by 17% in 2025, marking a 10 percentage point improvement over two years.

The players

Rafa Hernandez-Brito

He is a professional sportscaster who broadcasts games in Spanish for the Guardians, Browns, and Cavaliers.

Jennings Community Learning Center

This is an Akron-based educational facility that hosts a high-tech learning lab for its students.

Cavaliers

They are a professional basketball team that partnered with Goodyear to establish a multimedia learning environment.

Goodyear

This global tire and rubber company headquartered in Akron helped fund the school's high-tech multimedia studio.

The details

Hernandez-Brito works with students in a high-tech multimedia studio created through a partnership between the Cavaliers and Goodyear. To incentivize academic progress, students who pass the proficiency exam are awarded tickets to local sporting events.

2025 saw a 17% increase in the English proficiency test passing percentage.
Rafa Hernandez-Brito has mentored students over the past three years.

Culture Shift

This program reflects a broader trend of leveraging local professional sports partnerships to improve student engagement through non-traditional incentives. By embedding learning labs within local schools, organizations are redefining how corporations contribute to educational outcomes.

Local families gain access to specialized language resources and high-tech tools at Jennings Community Learning Center. Students are directly rewarded for their academic efforts with tickets to professional sporting events.

The takeaway

Integrating professional mentors and high-tech resources can significantly improve academic outcomes for language learners. Incentivizing progress with experiential rewards provides students with immediate, tangible goals to strive for during their studies.