By Michelle Mullen, Executive Vice President, Curriculum and Learning, AVID Center
67% of AVID students in grades 6–12 think that a blended learning environment would be a good way for them to learn.
- 57% of AVID parents believe that their students should take a fully online or virtual class before graduation in preparation for college/career success.
- 21% of 6th–12th graders have slow or no internet access at home.
The above is a small sampling of what we’ve learned from AVID students, teachers, and parents who participated in the annual Speak Up survey hosted by the national nonprofit, Project Tomorrow.
The 2014 survey included responses from:
- 6,822 AVID students in grades 6–8
- 5,664 AVID students in grades 9–12
- 1,258 AVID teachers
- 587 AVID parents (in English and Spanish)
As we design and develop digital solutions for our schools and districts, the Speak Up survey provides the most robust way for us to see the national trends and specific needs that most affect our partners, providing us with critical data to explore more deeply with focus groups and user interviews.
Having this kind of data allows us to consider the use, behaviors, and beliefs of our educators, students, and their families. We learn what is most important to them.
The Speak Up survey results help AVID identify:
- If our AVID students have the same connectivity as other students across the country
- If AVID teachers are using digital resources at the same rate as other teachers
- If AVID parents have the same concerns about tech use in the classroom as other parents
This same kind of thoughtful analysis is occurring across the country as districts collect similar data from 
their populations with Project Tomorrow. Data findings from the Speak Up survey can be customized for districts and provide data-rich reports by districts, schools, and different survey participant groups—there is no other organization providing this kind of longitudinal data in easy-to-access formats.
The annual Speak Up survey is open through December 18, 2015. Click here to learn how to participate and to see more data from our AVID respondents.
Have your district represented nationally and take the survey today!
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Michelle believes passionately in the potential of our young people and she is energized by work that builds student and educator capacity, opportunity, and hope. Besides her work at AVID Center, Michelle is a long-time volunteer with Girl Scouts, San Diego; her local YMCA; and within her local educational community. With her husband, she is also raising two daughters. While her personal and professional efforts have been focused on helping others recognize and live up to their potential, she sees her role at AVID Center as the perfect place to enact those efforts on a large scale.