Austin, TX—Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams and Austin Independent School District Superintendent Meria Carstarphen will tour Dobie Middle School’s nationally recognized Advancement via Individual Determination program, which helps close the achievement gap by preparing students for the rigors of college and success in a global society.

Who: TEA Commissioner Williams, Superintendent Carstarphen, AVID Executive Director Jim Nelson and Dobie students

What: Tour of nationally recognized AVID Program, including visits to library, classrooms and tutoring session

When: 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22

Where: Dobie Middle School, 1200 E. Rundberg Lane

Background: AISD has offered AVID for the past decade and the program has expanded during the past three years. At Dobie, the program serves about 250 students in an elective class that meets five times each week. Since its inception, Dobie’s program has grown from two to 11 classes and from serving 5 percent of students to more than 30. AVID’s enrollment mirrors Dobie’s student population: 82.8 percent are Latino, 11.8 percent are African American and 5.4 percent comprise other ethnicities.

Dobie is a Title I school, where 97.5 percent of students receive free or reduced price lunch.

Last year, Dobie was selected as a national demonstration school for meeting—with high proficiency—the essential elements to preparing student for college, from tutoring protocols to rigorous requirements for university enrollment.