Students to be served: This is a high school completion and college readiness initiative that will serve the Baboquivari Middle School (BMS) and Baboquivari High School (BHS) students of the Indian Oasis – Baboquivari Unified School District (IOBUSD) located on the Tohonoodham Nation in southern Arizona. It brings the resources of Tucson and Pima County through the City/County Metropolitan Education Commission to respond to the needs in IOBUSD. School dropouts will resume their studies through alternative education while Juvenile Detention Center youth will receive education services. The project will serve 1,000 students over five years. BMS and BHS have 80% and 84% student poverty rates (under Title I definitions).
Objectives: The Wisdom Project is designed to transform BMS, BHS, and IOBUSD alternative sites into high-performing schools, each with a rigorous and culturally-relevant curriculum and a college-going culture. The project will increase the high school graduation rate (from 39% in 2008 and 48% in 2009) and the percentage of students prepared for and entering postsecondary education. The IOBUSD graduates will be technologically prepared for college and for life.
Services: Project services consist of three main components: 1) Improving the college readiness of IOBUSD students; 2) Enhancing the use of technology for instruction in IOBUSD; and 3) Improving alternative education options on the Tohono odham Nation. This is an Investing in Innovation (i3) development project that is designed around College Board standards-based curriculum, innovations in technology, and a successful model for alternative education.
To learn more, contact Dr. June Webb-Vignery.
