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BIG IDEADROPOUT PREVENTION PROGRAMS ARE MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN THEY BEGIN WITH A PREMISE THAT ALL STUDENTS CAN AND WILL SUCCEED ACADEMICALLY Making this a reality requires that schools engage students with challenging curricula, quality teachers, and administrators and staff who are completely committed to seeing students succeed. JOSIE DANINI CORTEZ, M.A. Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a comprehensive middle school through senior high school reform program designed to prepare educationally disadvantaged students who have demonstrated potential for success in a rigorous secondary school curriculum for four-year college eligibility. First developed in 1980 by Mary Catherine Swanson, head of the English department at San Diego 's Clairemont High School in 1980, the AVID program now serves 115,000 students in more than 2,200 middle and high schools in 36 states and 15 countries. AVID's website (www.avidcenter.org) provides extensive information on the program and lists the following program description:
What AVID is not…
The program essentially restructures the teaching methods and approaches on a schoolwide basis in order to make college preparatory curricula accessible to most students. Students (B, C and D students) are enrolled in their school's honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes and in the AVID elective. For one period a day, students “learn organizational and study skills, work on critical thinking and asking probing questions, get academic help from peers and college tutors, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities that make college seem attainable; Their self-images improve, and they become academically successful leaders and role models for other students.” The AVID program selects students based on the following criteria:
Once selected, AVID students are placed into rigorous courses and provided intensive and targeted support to ensure their success in these courses. Teachers become advocates and guides for their AVID students and counselors change from “gate-keeper to facilitator.” AVID also creates site teams of administrators, teachers and counselors who focus on supporting the AVID students, through increased communication and coordination.
AVID also provides comprehensive professional development to teachers and administrators as part of its support to the schools. Teachers use the AVID curriculum, which was developed by middle and senior high school teachers in collaboration with college professors. It is driven by the WIC-R method, which stands for writing, inquiry, collaboration, and reading. Writing in all subjects is emphasized with a focus on clarifying and communicating thoughts. Students also are encouraged to ask questions, critically read, inquire, clarify, analyze and synthesize information. AVID students learn in a classroom where the AVID teacher is more of a facilitator and advocate and partners with the students in their learning.
Parents are asked to sign a contract agreeing to support the AVID requirements, encourage and support their children and attend AVID meetings. Parents are kept informed about program events, and many often participate in planning programs. The AVID program costs about $3 per student per day the first year and declines in cost to about $1 per student per day by the third year. Mary Catherine Swanson, AVID founder, and Robert Gira, AVID national program director, provide recommendations for implementing AVID on a schoolwide basis. These include:
When implemented as designed, the AVID program has impressive evaluation results. It has been shown to improve schoolwide standardized test scores, advanced-course enrollments, and the college enrollment. In 1996, Hugh Mehan published his study of the AVID program in eight high schools and found that AVID graduates outperformed their comparison groups in college enrollment. Moreover, 89 percent of the AVID graduates were still enrolled in college after two years, and 92 percent of all AVID graduates enrolled in college—75 percent higher than the overall student population (Mehan, H., Villanueva, I., Hubbard, L., Lintz, A. “ Constructing School Success: The Consequences of Untracking Low-Achieving Students.” Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1996). » Other published research that note AVID's success include:
The AVID center has evidence to indicate that the proportion of Latino students taking AP exams is seven times higher among AVID students than among U.S. students overall. The center also reports that 95 percent of the 30,000 AVID graduates enroll in two- and four-year institutions of higher education, and 85 percent complete their four-year college requirements. The AVID center can be contacted at www.avidcenter.org » References Cunningham, E., Redmond, C. & Merisotis, J. (2003, February). Investing early: Intervention programs in selected U.S. states. Institute for Higher Education Policy. Guthrie, L. F., Guthrie, G. P. (2002, February). The magnificent eight: AVID best practices study. Center for Research, Evaluation and Training in Education. Guthrie, L. F., & Guthrie, G. P. (2000, June). Longitudinal research on AVID, 1999-2000. Center for Research, Evaluation and Training in Education. Mehan, H., Villanueva, I. , Hubbard, L., Lintz, A. (1996). Constructing school success: The consequences of untracking low-achieving students. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Watt, K. M., Powell, C. A., & Mendiola, I. D. (2004). Implications of one comprehensive school reform model for secondary school students underrepresented in higher education. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 9 (3). Watt, K. M., Yanez, D., & Cossio, G. (2002-2003). AVID: A comprehensive school reform model for Texas. National Forum of Educational Administration and Supervision Journal 19 (3).
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Presenter: Dr. María "Cuca" Robledo Montecel Thursday, December 8, 2005 Site Registration Fee $75.00 U.S. high schools lose more than one third of their students before The seminar will be led by Dr. Robledo Montecel, executive director of the Intercultural Development Research Association, an independent, private non-profit organization dedicated to equity and excellence in education. A nationally-recognized expert on the prevention and recovery of dropouts, Dr. Robledo Montecel directed the first statewide study of dropouts in Texas. Under her leadership, IDRA's innovative dropout prevention program, the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program, has made a visible difference in the lives of more than 220,000 children, families and educators. Dr. Robledo Montecel has authored and co-authored a number of publications focusing on effective bilingual education, school holding power, and parent leadership. Dr. Robledo Montecel holds a bachelor of social work degree from Our Lady of the Lake University and a master's degree in educational evaluation from Antioch College. She earned a doctorate in research and evaluation from the Urban Education program at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. She has been named among the top 100 Hispanic influentials by Hispanic Business magazine. Participants can invite as many people to participate as one telephone connection can accommodate. When you register, you will receive instructions on how to access the seminar from your telephone and how to receive participant materials by mail or e-mail. The seminar registration fee includes access form one telephone line and one set of reproducible participant materials. Participants can pay using a credit card, check, or purchase order. If you wish to use a purchase order you must register by phone. All purchase orders must be made out to Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). Who should attend this program: Representatives of state education agencies, school based leadership teams, classroom and special education teachers, central office and building level leadership, parent leaders, and policymakers. Register by calling 1-800-775-7654, online at
http://online.krm.com/iebms/reg/reg_p1_ SEMINAR CODE: 11125 CELEBRATE THE 5TH ANNUAL NATIONAL INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS WEEK™! DECEMBER 5-9, 2005 Free, downloadable Celebration Kit available at www.inclusiveschools.org Inclusive schools are better prepared to bridge the achievement gap for students of diverse abilities and backgrounds, because they integrate special education supports into the curriculum and affirm students' rich cultures. The 5th Annual National Inclusive Schools Week™ will be celebrated in schools, classrooms, and communities December 5-9, 2005, with a special focus on the achievement gap and strategies for improving educational outcomes for all students. NDPC-SD is a proud partner of the Week. The Week's sponsors, the Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative and Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), are pleased to announce the release of the new Celebration Kit, which may be downloaded for free from www.inclusiveschools.org. The 2005 kit has been expanded to include examples of how educators, families, and communities have celebrated the Week in previous years, lesson plans and community building activities for use with students across grade levels, and several new resources on topics related to inclusive educational practice and multicultural education. “Bridging the Gap: Achievement for All,” a new supplemental resource to the kit, will help educators, families, and community members better understand the causes of the achievement gap and ways they can help narrow it. They will also discover a number of valuable resources on study skills, culturally responsive education, learning-styles assessments, and student self-determination. »
Great Things Happen in Inclusive Schools™ »
Partnership Opportunity NDPC-SD 2006 TELESEMINAR SERIES NDPC-SD is pleased to announce the next four events in our series of telephone seminars in 2006: »
February, 2006 »May, 2006 » September, 2006 » December, 2006 Who
should attend these programs: * Registration fee is waived for state education agencies and parent training and information centers. Site Registration Fee Per Teleseminar: $75.00* For More Information and a Registration Form, Contact: Deb Hall at: 800-225-4276 ext. 2168 or dhall@edc.org UPCOMING EVENTS »18th Annual At-Risk Youth National FORUM * * * » 2006 Effective Strategies Institute * * * » 18th Annual NDPN Conference » Subscribe » HELP » Have a question or suggestion? Need help? » Connect with others in eConnections
» CONTACT US The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) SPREAD THE NEWS » For additional information
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