Closing the Achievement Gap for Students

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Closing the Achievement Gap for Students (NAPSA)—According to The Pell Institute, students who are from a low-income background and are first-generation college students have the odds stacked against them more than any other student population when it comes to earning a college degree. Only 10.9 percent of these students graduate with a bachelor’s degree within six years—but there are ways to changethat. A Solution In stark contrast to this number are the outcomes for certain seniors who are from the same population. These achievers are part of AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination and is a college readiness system that provides educators with specific academic strategies and tools for students who are often underrepresented in college. These tools improve student engagement and create a robust and rigorous learning environment regardless of the student background. Outcomes According to the National Student Clearinghouse, of the AVID seniors from the class of 2010 who are from a low-income background and first-generation college students, 15 percent have already graduated with their bachelor’s degree. Forty-eight percent have either earned an associate’s degree or are still continuously enrolled in college. It’s clear these students are outpacing their peers in college persistence, despite being the least likely student population to graduate from college. With the proper tools, more students are able to graduate college. One Student’s Story Defying odds is nothing new to many AVID students. For example, Jesula Jeannot moved to the United States from Haiti shortly after the devastating earthquake there and overcamea languagebarrier, bullying and a new, challenging environ- ment. Like many students in AVID, she credits AVID with changing her outlook. “AVID changed mylife. AVID made me change my ways and made me understand that I have to make my obstacles become my strengths to move forward.” There are thousands of AVID students like Jeannot across the nation, and they continue to fight the odds because they have learned that determinationis critical to achieving goals. Awards Because of its commitment to closing this opportunity gapfor all students, AVID wasrecently recognized by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and has received many other awardsover theyears. Learn More For further information, visit www.avid.org.

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