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The Sallie Mae Fund to provide $100,000 to IPS to expand AVID program

Grant to help at-risk Indianapolis students for college success

INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 18, 2007—As part of an ongoing effort to improve college-going rates for students and families, The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, has committed $100,000 to Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) in support of the AVID academic enrichment program. AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is designed to help students in grades 5 through 12 better prepare for college eligibility and success.

The AVID program targets students who are considered in the “academic middle” and could benefit from alternative teaching methods that improve their academic record and put them on the path to college readiness. Typically, AVID students are minorities, financially disadvantaged or the first in their families to pursue a higher education. The program itself encompasses three main components: academic instruction, tutorial support and motivational activities. A rigorous writing and reading curriculum is emphasized, in addition to instruction on organization, note taking and time management skills.

“AVID is taking those students who normally would be considered for remedial classes and turning their lives around by challenging them to dream bigger and do more academically,” said Dr. Gerald McLeish, AVID district leader and director of IPS high school curriculum and programs. “Because they are challenged and expected to succeed, students are motivated to live up to their potential and aspire to college.”

The Sallie Mae Fund’s contribution of $100,000 to IPS — $50,000 each in 2007 and 2008 — will expand the AVID program in select IPS schools, enabling them to recruit and provide stipends to retired teachers, college students and talented high school seniors who will serve as tutors for AVID students.

“Helping our students succeed academically is an investment that benefits every citizen in our Indiana communities,” said June McCormack, executive vice president, Sallie Mae, and board member, The Sallie Mae Fund. “The Sallie Mae Fund’s partnership with IPS for the AVID program raises the expectations of students. It focuses on creating a college-bound culture in the Hoosier state, ensuring those students who are capable of doing college-level work — but are falling short of their potential — have the extra support and tools they need to succeed.”

For IPS, AVID serves as one of the cornerstones of a district-wide improvement effort that Dr. Eugene G. White, superintendent, IPS, initiated two years ago to reform the state’s largest public school system and transform education in the city of Indianapolis. Currently, AVID has been implemented in eight IPS schools: Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School, T.C. Howe Academy, George Washington Community School and Emmerich Manual, Arlington, Northwest and Arsenal Technical high schools.

Since its creation in 1980, AVID has become an international program, adopted by more than 2,700 middle and high schools in 45 states, the District of Columbia and across 15 countries. More than 40,000 students have graduated from AVID programs and gone on to college at a rate of 95 percent.

The Sallie Mae Fund is deeply invested in education initiatives across the state of Indiana. Since 2001, The Fund has awarded $3.97 million in grants to charitable organizations in the Hoosier state. In that same time period, students attending Indiana colleges and universities received more than $235,000 in scholarships through The Sallie Mae Fund programs. In addition, Sallie Mae’s employees led efforts to bring an additional $1.7 million to the state through The Fund’s Matching Gifts and Dollars for Doers programs.

To learn more about how The Sallie Mae Fund and its partners are working to improve college access for America’s students and families, go to www.salliemaefund.org.

The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission — to increase access to a postsecondary education for America's children — by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education, prepare families for their investment, and bridge the gap when no one else can. In addition, The Sallie Mae Fund encourages Sallie Mae employee volunteerism in the communities in which Sallie Mae employees live and work. For more information, visit www.salliemaefund.org.