2012 AVID Highlights and Accomplishments

By Jim Nelson, Executive Director, AVID Center

The beginning of a new year is an excellent time to take stock of where you’ve been, where you are, and where you want to be.  At AVID, as we enter 2013 at full speed, I want pause for a few moments to remember many of the highlights and accomplishments of 2012.

2012 AVID Highlights and Accomplishments

By the numbers:

• 25,000⁺ educators attended AVID professional learning sessions
• 700,000⁺ students were impacted by those AVID trained educators
• 550 ^+/- new sites implemented AVID
• 1 new AVID Executive Vice President was named (Michelle Mullen!)
• 350⁺ professional learning trainers taught AVID strategies
• 14,500 ^+/- pages of curriculum were written, updated, and published
• 15,600⁺ “Likes” on Facebook
• 3 imperatives were chosen by the AVID Board to guide our work
• At least 7 new acronyms were added to AVID’s terminology
• 53 blogs were posted
• 2 new cities, Indianapolis and Philadelphia, held Summer Institutes
• 1 i3 grant was awarded to AVID
• 165 of the 300 Dell Scholars participated in AVID
• 124 AVID Demonstration Schools were named

In addition:

• The Boys in Peril documentary featuring AVID students was released.
• AVID Elementary became a standalone part of the AVID system (no feeder pattern necessary).
• AVID for Higher Education expanded their Student Success and Teacher Preparation Initiatives.
• AVID Excel became the official name of our pre-AVID middle school program for long-term ELLs.
• E-learning became an essential part of our training, including the new three-day Summer Institutes.
• The AVID Math and Science Summer Bridge programs were rolled out in 31 districts.
• Houston Endowment provided a grant to collaborate with Rice University’s Center for College Readiness.
• The Platinum Equity Leadership grant provided AVID training and expansion in San Diego area schools.

A few things I’m looking forward to in 2013 that are continuing or in the final stages of development:

1. Our first Summer Institute in Hawaii ~ Aloha!
2. The new school recognition system that will emphasize progress in implementing AVID schoolwide.
3. The updated certification process that will include AVID Elementary and AVID for Higher Education.
4.  The continuation of the strong relationship with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.
5. The work on the three imperatives set by the AVID Board: Accelerating AVID Schoolwide, AVID Urban Initiative, and AVID Student-Centric Focus (Rob Gira will focus on the imperatives in future blogs).

I look ahead to 2013 and AVID’s future with great anticipation of what we can accomplish.  I know that with our outstanding AVID staff and the dedicated AVID educators in schools and districts across this country, we can positively change the lives of students for generations to come.  

-          The “Boys in Peril” documentary featuring AVID students was released.

-          AVID Elementary became a standalone part of the AVID system (no feeder pattern necessary).

-          AVID for Higher Education expanded their Student Success and Teacher Preparation Initiatives.

-          AVID Excel became the official name of our pre-AVID middle school program for long-term ELLs.

-          E-learning became an essential part of our training, including the new three-day Summer Institutes.

-          The AVID Math and Science Summer Bridge programs were rolled out in 31 districts.

-          Houston Endowment provided a grant to collaborate with Rice University’s Center for College Readiness.

-          The Platinum Equity Leadership grant provided AVID training and expansion in San Diego area schools.