[295] MTSU Mentoring Partnership Makes 'AVID' Fans Of Students, Teachers

Feb. 9, 2010
Contact: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MTSU MENTORING PARTNERSHIP MAKES ‘AVID’ FANS OF STUDENTS, TEACHERS

MURFREESBORO—“My grades were low, F’s and D’s,” says Jaimicah Coley of Antioch High School. “Over the past nine weeks they’ve come up to C’s and B’s.”
Coley credits the Advancement Via Individual Determination initiative, or AVID, a college-readiness mentoring program that is designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four–year colleges. While serving all students, AVID focuses on the least served students who fall into the middle range academically. The program provides training for teachers, counselors and administrators who, in turn, work with students on their study skills, help build their self-confidence and encourage them to continue their education.
While AVID is active across the nation, it is more an exception than the rule when college students are a mentoring component in the program. The AVID partnership with Middle Tennessee State University is the first in Middle Tennessee and one of just a few in the state. In addition to Antioch High, the university has linked up with Glencliff High School and East Literature Magnet School.
Right now there are more than 40 MTSU students volunteering their time in these high schools and doing so without any compensation whatsoever. They’re even paying for their own travel time.
“These students will be volunteering, including drive time, more than 1,800 hours during the spring semester,” said Doug Williams, MTSU executive director of marketing and communications, who, along with Mark Murphy in the Office of Leadership and Service, helped established the partnership. “Amazingly, 60-plus additional students have inquired about the program, and we have sent them applications.” Williams added that other high schools have expressed interest in AVID.
“I think we help them out by just being here,” said Courtney Jaudon, MTSU sophomore and an electronic media communication major, who is an AVID mentor. “If they’re in a bad mood and we’re just in the best of moods, they can feed off your energy, so that always brightens your day.”
MTSU Senior Brandee Lee chose the program because of the similarities between her background and those of the students. “I’ve come from a background where we didn’t have the most money, and if I needed someone to be there, I would want them to be there to help [me] get through something.”
Elaine (Buckner) Plummer (MTSU B.S. ’76), AVID coordinator at Antioch High School, said that she was counting the days to retirement until she became involved in the program. Now, she says, she could teach another 10 years.
“Bringing in young students from MTSU is key because they [the students] often are more willing to take advice from them than from an older teacher. … It’s really very rewarding working with motivated kids.”
Plummer pointed out that AVID currently has three levels that develop a student’s ability to prepare to go to college and improve their grades. AVID 1 works on the students’ organization and time- management skills. AVID 2 is focused on writing.
AVID 3 focuses on the search for colleges and learning how to fill out all the required paperwork.
“I’m looking to go to one of the big schools— Vanderbilt, Duke, Harvard or Yale,” said Christopher Adereti, a 9th-grader who wants to be a doctor.
AVID will help improve his chances. In 2007, 100 percent of all AVID seniors in Metro Nashville Public Schools (Comprehensive High Schools) graduated from high school; 100 percent completed college-entrance requirements. In addition, 98 percent of MNPS AVID seniors applied to a four-year college; 92 percent of MNPS AVID graduates are attending two- or four-year colleges.
Antioch High Assistant Principal Retonia Moore believes that the positive effects on attitudes reach more than just the students. “The teachers’ optimism is rising because they see that the students that use to just hang out in the classes are getting help and becoming better students.”
Antioch AVID teacher Laura Wiseman reflects that spirited attitude. “I have been overwhelmed by the caliber of the MTSU students who have helped our children,” she said. “The response from both our AVID students and MTSU tutors has been extremely positive … and relationships and leadership qualities are developing and being strengthened.”
Williams credited MTSU’s Dr. Ron Kates, associate professor of English, and Dr. Jill Austin, chair of the Department of Management and Marketing, for their help in creating the new EXL 3010 AVID Mentoring class, which several MTSU students are taking this spring.
To learn more about AVID, visit http://www.avid.org.


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