RTI International has granted the Chatham Education Foundation $3,500 in support of AVID–a national academic success and college readiness system. The grant will be used to fund tutors to assist Chatham County Schools students in the AVID program with their academic coursework.
Dr. Angela Quick, a senior vice president at RTI International and Chatham Education Foundation board member, initiated the community engagement grant. “RTI is committed to helping people by giving back to the communities in which we are located and to improving our connections to the local education systems,” Dr. Quick said.
The RTI grant will allow more students to be able to receive high-impact tutoring through the North Carolina Education Corps, which will now include math in addition to the existing reading curriculum.
AVID, which stands for Achievement Via Individual Determination, is unlike other college preparation programs in that it is highly student-centric, requires strong teacher development, and teaches strategies to help in K-12 classwork and beyond. Nationally, AVID programs produce college-ready students at rates that far exceed national benchmarks. Many AVID students receive full-ride scholarships, and in 2023-24 Chatham County Schools’ AVID graduates obtained more than $18 million in scholarship offers.
Supporting excellence in education through AVID is a critical area of focus for the Chatham Education Foundation.
