James C. Wright Middle School in Madison has been selected as a National Demonstration School by AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), joining approximately 200 other AVID National Demonstration Schools in the nation.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County (BGCDC) and the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) partner to provide AVID/TOPS and AVID/College Club to all of the district’s high schools and two middle schools including the AVID/College Club program at Wright Middle School.
“We are very excited to have one of our schools receive this recognition,” said Michael Johnson, president & CEO of BGCDC, in a statement. “Through our partnership with MMSD, we are making a difference in the lives of students by putting them on a path to realize their greatest potential.”
AVID is a nonprofit organization that provides educators with real-world strategies to accelerate the performance of underrepresented students so that these students and all students across the entire campus succeed in college, career, and life. It’s been implemented in more than 8,000 schools in 49 states across the U.S.
James Colemon Wright Middle School is a magnet school on Madison’s south side in the Madison Metropolitan School District named after Madison civil rights leader James C. Wright.
“Schools recognized as National Demonstration Sites have proven their ability to successfully implement the AVID Elective course and take the strategies schoolwide to impact all students,” says AVID Chief Executive Officer Thuan Nguyen in a statement. “Wright Middle School was selected as an AVID National Demonstration School because it has implemented the AVID System throughout the school and can serve as a model for new AVID sites.”
The recognition of being an AVID National Demonstration School was established in 1993 with a $250,000 award from the Charles A. Dana Foundation of New York. As part of the AVID Demonstration Sites Network, sites are expected to develop a model program with schoolwide participation.
