The AVID program in Chapel Hill, NC Judy
Jones
http://avidonline.org
Introduction
Throughout my many years of teaching, I have seen many educational
programs and innovations come and go. Sometimes they have gone
before I think they have been giving a fair chance at succeeding,
but sometimes they are abandoned because they simply did not
achieve the goals and dreams that were expected. About 10 years
ago, another initiative was started in our school system –
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination). Many teachers
were very skeptical – you get that way after a long time
of seeing so many programs promising great outcomes and then
fizzling away. But after a few years, a surprising thing happened.
Teachers began to ask for AVID students in their classes. Our
scores, grades and college acceptances, particularly for our
minority students, began to slowly improve. And the enthusiasm
began to grow for the AVID program.
Background
AVID began more than 20 years ago in San Diego. It arose amidst
the turmoil surrounding integration of the schools. A courageous
English teacher, Mary Catherine Swanson, started a journey down
a different pathway from the rest of the schools. The typical
approach to integrating the white privileged high-achieving
schools with schools that had high numbers of poor, immigrant
students was to create remedial classes. The resultant “integrated”
schools were, in fact, models of segregation – with white
students tackling advanced and honors classes and the minority
students taking low-level, slow-paced classes. This model is
based on the presumption that poor and/or underprivileged students
cannot achieve at high levels. It has always, in my mind, been
an insidious reflection of some of our most destructive societal
beliefs.
Mary Catherine Swanson certainly believed that every single
student can learn and achieve at a high level. When the high-achieving
white school where she was English Department Chair was planning
the remedial classes for the approaching integration with an
inner city school, she asked to put some of the expected students
in advanced, college-level classes. Her principal agreed, if
she would work with those students one period each day. And
thus started a revolution. As with any revolution, the road
was not easy. For those of you whose interest has been piqued
by my short description, please read The Wall of Fame by Pulitzer
Prize-Winning Jonathan Freedman. It is a lively description
of the many roadblocks and frustrations that Mary Catherine
had to face and overcome. But it is also a poignant look at
the lives of her AVID students and the amazing courage and determination
that they possessed that helped them overcome great obstacles
and succeed beyond anyone’s expectations (except for theirs
and Ms. Swanson’s, of course!). In Chapel Hill, an inspired
and innovative teacher, Terry Greenlund, saw the potential of
the AVID program to chip away at our achievement gap. And about
10 years ago, AVID became a part of our daily lives.
Description of Program
Students: The AVID program targets students who are in the middle.
It is not intended to replace all programs for students who
struggle. It is intended to take the students who have the potential
to take advanced classes given the right kind of support. The
program looks for students who have a sparkle of motivation
and who can succeed in college. It also looks for students who
will be the first in their family to attend college. I struggled
with this focus, originally, because like many teachers, I want
to save all children. But what I have seen is that by taking
these “middle-of-the-road” students and helping
them achieve excellence, we have changed the culture of our
schools. Now we have a high-achieving population of minority
students who set a tone for the rest of their peers. When I
started teaching in Chapel Hill in 1984, I could not help noticing
that our African-American students struggled with the attitude
that “academic achievement is a white thing.” That
attitude has almost disappeared, partly due to the AVID program
and partly due to a change in teacher attitudes. It should be
noted that the AVID program in Chapel Hill, although primarily
populated with minority students (because that is the focus
of our achievement gap statistics) is also open to any student
who could use the structure, the instruction, and the motivation
offered by the program. For example, in my senior class last
year, I had 6 white students and 10 minority students. This
year there are fewer white students, simply due to the needs
of the population. The program is so popular that our own teachers
often ask to have their students (white or minority) placed
in the AVID class.
Structure: Our high school operates on a traditional schedule
– six 55-minute classes per day. AVID students have one
period each year that is their AVID class. So what do we do
with the students in these classes? The weekly schedule consists
of 2 AVID curriculum days, 2 tutorial days, and 1 motivational
day – although certainly we modify this schedule occasionally
as needed. The AVID curriculum varies from year to year, but
generally, it consists of building vocabulary, grammar, writing,
reading, speaking, and organizational skills. The tutorials
are designed to build a collaborative approach to learning.
Ideally, students are working together to help each other answer
high level questions about their subjects. (Tutorials require
regular, trained tutors and we still struggle to get these tutors.)
And motivational days are used for speakers, scrabble and chess
games, and class discussions about what the students are experiencing
in their classes and in life. Part of the AVID program involves
regular binder checks – students are expected to maintain
one big binder with all of their papers organized in a particular
way. Consistently, we emphasize with the students one of the
major tenants of the AVID program, the “individual determination”
piece. AVID is not intended to be a “crutch” for
students. It is intended to help them “grow their wings”
and fly into life – equipped with motivation, skills and
knowledge that they have internalized.
In addition to the classroom activities, AVID students are
expected to attend college information nights and SAT review
courses that our system provides. They take the PSAT and SAT
frequently and work hard to improve their scores so that by
senior year, they are competitive. (We pay for these tests,
if students need the help.) Our students are also taken on college
visits at least twice each year. These visits build enthusiasm
and hope for the college adventure. Whereas most of our white
students (who come from families where both parents are college-graduates)
take going to college for granted, our minority students (many
of whom will be the first to go to college in their families)
are scared and nervous about the process. They need a great
deal of support and encouragement. And they need the chance
to become familiar with college campuses and environments.
Results
As I have said, in Chapel Hill, we have seen an improvement
in scores and achievement of our students. More minority students
are taking advanced and AP classes. SAT scores have improved
for minority students, probably as a result of the SAT prep
classes and as a result of taking more challenging courses.
Certainly, we have seen an improvement in our minority student
engagement. In addition, I have seen a shift in teachers –
from sadly accepting the achievement gap to working hard toward
eliminating it. Of course AVID is not the only initiative in
our district that had accomplished these changes. However, it
is certainly one of the important efforts. For more information
about achievement in our school system, you can go to our school
website: http://chccs.k12.nc.us
Conclusion
As a concluding thought – I have always been interested
in efforts to improve student achievement for all students.
I was pleased to be asked to become one of the AVID teachers.
The rewards have been many in the two short years that I have
been teaching these students. I encourage you to look for new
challenges. It is the excitement of new learning and experiences
that keep teaching a creative and enticing profession!
Read a practical
application of the AVID Program.
Please share your ideas with me via e-mail.
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