From one class of 32 to over 2 million students in AVID today, Wall of Fame is not just the story of school reform, but the chronicle of a movement in the making. Mary Catherine Swanson never intended that her commitment to teach all her students academic rigor would put her career in jeopardy or revolutionize public education. Nor had she intended for her program to reach beyond the walls of her high school, let alone be implemented in more than 7,500 schools today. This Wall of Fame reissue—20 years after its original publication—contains a new foreword by Dr. Sandy Husk, CEO of AVID, who describes the incredible growth of this little-known non-profit into a movement that breaks down barriers so all students can shape their path and change our world. Together, the AVID Community has changed the trajectory of millions of lives.

Wall of Fame: One Teacher, One Class, and the Power to Save Schools and Transform Lives

Education & Teaching

FREEDMAN, Jonathan

Schools & Teaching

Avid Center

As public education declined many Americans despaired of their children's future, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Freedman volunteered as a writing mentor in some of California's toughest inner-city schools. He discovered a program called AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) that gave him hope. In this work of creative non-fiction, Mr. Freedman interweaves the lives of AVID's founder, Mary Catherine Swanson, and six of her original AVID students over a 20-year period, from 1980-2000. With powerful personalities, explosive conflicts, and compelling action, Wall of Fame portrays the dramatic story of how one teacher in one classroom created a pragmatic program that has propelled thousands of students to college. This story of determination, courage, and hope inspires a new generation of teachers, students, and parents to fight for change from the bottom up. 
It will be possible to learm more about AVID and the Wall of Fame from the September 25th issue of Time magazine and upcoming segments of Oxygen and perhaps 60 Minutes II.

Wall of Fame

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Avid Center publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Avid Center

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Avid Center publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Wall of Fame: One Teacher, One Class, and the Power to Save Schools and Transform Lives

Wall of Fame