Valencia High School has been selected as a National Demonstration School by AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a nonprofit organization that provides educators with proven, real-world strategies to accelerate the performance of underrepresented students so they have the tools to succeed in college, career, and life.
The school joins approximately 150 other AVID National Demonstration Schools and was selected through an application process, screening, and review, which included a site visit. AVID is implemented in over 5,600 schools across the nation, meaning that less than 3% of AVID schools earn the distinction of AVID National Demonstration School.
AVID Chief Executive Officer Sandy Husk, PhD, notes the significance of attaining Demonstration site recognition. “Schools recognized as National Demonstration Sites have proven their ability to successfully implement the AVID Elective course and take the strategies schoolwide to impact all students,” says Dr. Husk. “Valencia High School was selected as an AVID National Demonstration School because it has implemented the AVID System throughout the school and can serve as a model for new AVID sites.”
The recognition of being an AVID National Demonstration School was established in 1993 with a $250,000 award from the Charles A. Dana Foundation of New York. As part of the AVID Demonstration Sites Network, sites are expected to develop a model program with schoolwide participation. With AVID’s proven methodologies used throughout subject-area classes, performance levels improve for all students, but especially for those students who are the least likely to attend four-year colleges. Schools from around the world that are preparing to implement the AVID System will visit Demonstration Schools, such as this one, to observe a highly evolved AVID System.
Hector Vasquez, Valencia High School’s Principal, is pleased that the school was chosen as an AVID National Demonstration School, noting the impact of the program on staff and students. He notes that “it is a tremendous honor to be selected as a Demo, and we are proud of our AVID program and our school as a whole.”
Olivia Yaung, Assistant Principal, says “the use of AVID strategies schoolwide has positively impacted the educational experience for students and the instructional experience for staff, and we continue to see a more engaged and college-ready student body.”
Valencia’s AVID Coordinator, Brandon Frank, highlights the fact that “the AVID program here at Valencia High School has already changed lives for hundreds of families, and this new recognition is only going to accelerate, cultivate, and advance our mission throughout the community and beyond.”
CONGRATULATIONS!