Bridge for students marks big gains
FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2010 AT 12:01 A.M.
MISSION VALLEY — Gerardo Romo was changing out of his gym clothes when he heard a group of teenagers shuffling toward him. The high school freshman remembered feeling like a circus act.
“ ‘Are you gay?’ one of them asked,” said Romo, 18. “I hesitated, but I finally told them I was. One yelled out sexual vulgarities. All the others roared with laughter.”
Romo fought back tears on the ride home, his self-described bubble of blissful ignorance torn open by homophobia. “Gayardo Homosexual,” the students called him. The taunts made him start to lose sight of what he thought really defined him: academic achievement.
That changed after a teacher suggested he become part of AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination, a homegrown program that has spread to 45 states and 16 countries and territories. On Thursday, Romo and hundreds of others gathered for a ceremony at the Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley to mark the program’s 30th year.
Mary Catherine Swanson started AVID in her classroom at Clairemont High School with 32 students. At the
http://www.avid.org/abo_mission.html
Mission
AVID's mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.
AVID's new mission statement succinctly reflects the expansion of AVID to include our AVID Elementary and AVID Postsecondary initiatives, enabling even more students to achieve their dreams of earning a college degree and/or becoming productive members of our global society.
The recently updated mission statement still reflects AVID's core purpose, and our focus remains the same – ensuring college readiness for all students.
AVID's mission is...
Our mission is student-focused, but our work transforms the behaviors and expectations of the teachers who support the AVID student. Our mission centers on the goals our students set out to achieve.
...to close the achievement gap
At AVID, we seek to close the achievement gap by improving the performance of all students, especially those who have not traditionally succeeded in completing college entrance requirements: students who are underrepresented in four-year colleges and universities, students in the academic middle, students who are the first in their family to go to college.
...by preparing all students
A common misconception about AVID is that we focus solely on minority and low-income students. Not at all! AVID is a college readiness system that starts in elementary school. We have a schoolwide approach for elementary grades where AVID is available to ALL students. In middle and high school, we target a core population of students who enroll in an AVID elective class. As the system takes root in secondary schools, AVID gradually expands schoolwide to serve all students. AVID Postsecondary continues to support students in their efforts to earn a college degree by developing the skills needed to persist in college.
...for college readiness
Because AVID provides students with a clearly defined and delineated road map, they gain the confidence needed to pursue their dreams of college. AVID prepares students for the rigors of college, and provides them with academic skills, content knowledge, and social adaptability needed for college success.
...and success in a global society.
The AVID system empowers students by instilling in them the academic and social skills needed to successfully complete college and become responsible participants and leaders in our global society.