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Factors contributing to transforming school culture: a case study of the advancement via individual determination program

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Factors contributing to transforming school culture: a case study of the advancement via individual determination program

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Content FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO TRANSFORMING SCHOOL CULTURE:
A CASE STUDY OF THE ADVANCEMENT VIA INDIVIDUAL
DETERMINATION PROGRAM

by

Rosalyn Varee

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

August 2008

Copyright 2008 Rosalyn Varee

ii
DEDICATION

This dissertation is a result of collective efforts from my parents, family, and
friends. They often give me valuable advice, reminders, and wisdom about life,
when I had a hard time understanding. However, they always give me room to
explore and make mistakes.
This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, who have given me all their love
and support. Without them, there is no way I could possibly have accomplished this.
Their understanding on the value of education is truly beyond my comprehension. I
am just a lucky beneficiary. Along the way, my sister Susan and brothers Marvin
and Kevin have also been extremely supportive and understanding.

iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the
guidance and expertise of my dissertation chair, Dr. Amanda Datnow. I am deeply
indebted to Dr. Datnow for her encouragement, advice, mentoring, and research
support throughout my doctoral program at USC. I also truly appreciate her patience
and positive attitude throughout this entire process. She is truly an inspiration and an
exemplary role model to me.
I would also like to thank Mrs. Elizabeth Lowe (AVID Coordinator) for her
efforts in helping me collect the data. I admire her extraordinary leadership skills
and commitment to the students at Garden View High School. In addition, I am
extremely grateful for the kindness and candid responses of the administrators and
faculty members interviewed at both the district office and school site.
Next, I would like to thank my own AVID students for motivating me to
become a more effective classroom teacher and the memories we have shared. For
the past four years, it has truly been an honor to teach the 23 individuals. I look
forward to their valuable contributions in society.
Finally, I appreciate my family and friends and their unconditional support
and love in completing this dissertation. This dissertation is dedicated to all the
individuals who believed in me and have encouraged me to use my knowledge to
help reform public education. To all of you, thank you.

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION ……………………………………………………………… ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ………………………………………………….. iii
LIST OF TABLES ………………………………………………………….. v
LIST OF FIGURES ………………………………………………………… vi
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………… vii
CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY ……………………………… 1
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ……………………………………. 13
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ………………………………………….. 44
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS …………………………………………………… 56
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY …………………………………………………. 119
REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………. 135
APPENDICES ……………………………………………………………….. 141

v

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Garden View High School: Demographics of Teachers ……………… 51
Table 2: Mountain Spring Unified School District: Garden View High
School Demographics of Administrators ………………………………………… 52

vi
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Numbers of AP Exams ……………………………………………….. 71

Figure 2: Number of AP Takers and Exams …………………………………… 74

vii

ABSTRACT
The 1983 publication of A Nation at Risk has prompted many policymakers
and educators to reform public schools to ensure that all students have equal access
to higher education. As a result of these changes, many school districts across the
country have chosen to implement a variety of college outreach programs not only to
increase the number of students eligible to attend four year institutions but also to
change the academic culture of the school. The context of this issue will be
examined under a college preparatory program known as Advancement via
Individual Determination (AVID) which seeks to increase opportunities for minority
or low socioeconomic students to enroll in four year universities by providing both
social and academic support in rigorous courses.
The qualitative case study seeks to address how the AVID program has
impacted the culture of a low performing and low socioeconomic high school. A
large urban, low performing high school in Southern California was selected for the
case study. The school was selected because they have been designated as an AVID
National Demonstration Site, which is the highest distinction within the program.
The distinction indicates that the high school has achieved the highest standards for
AVID implementation and expansion. The program has influenced policy and
structural changes school wide. In addition, the success of the AVID program is
highly contingent on a strong district and site leadership team to support staff
members and students. Although the AVID program seeks to change the perceptions

viii
of teachers who have lower expectations of minority students, the data reveals that
teacher’s beliefs about minority student achievement and their access to college has
not been altered
The overarching result is that the academic culture of the high school has
changed drastically after the implementation of the AVID program. Both teachers
and students strongly agree that the school has improved academically. This can by
verified by improvements in standardized test scores for the past seven years,
number of students taking both A-G required courses, and the increase in number of
students attending a four year institution. One suggestion for future research is to
conduct multiple case studies comparing and contrasting the successes and failures
of high school AVID programs related to changing the academic culture. Findings
from this case study indicate policy and practice implications such as, to provide
extensive, specific, ongoing professional development for teachers on the AVID
program methodologies and purpose, to provide all students access to A-G courses,
and to ensure parents are involved and educated about the college going process.

1
CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
Introduction
It has become increasingly clear that to be successful in promoting equal
educational opportunity, government policies must target educationally and
economically disadvantaged students early in the educational pathway in addition to
providing financial aid to assist them after they have made the decision to attend
college—Investing Early Intervention Programs in Selected US States, February
2003 (1)
Background of the Problem
One of the most significant issues concerning public education is the lack of
minority students who choose to pursue higher education after graduating from high
school. According to the United States Census (2000), 24 percent of adults age
twenty-five or older have a bachelor degree or higher. Of this group, the ethnic
breakdown includes: 14% African-American, 24% Latinos, 44% Asian, and 26%
Caucasian (United States Census, 2000). In California, 37 percent of high school
graduates are Latino, and only 12 percent within this subgroup have completed the
minimum eligibility requirements for college entrance. The percentage declines
further for African-American students, where the subgroup represents 8 percent of
California’s high school graduates and only 3 percent are college eligible (Jones,
Yonezawa, Ballesteros, & Mehan, 2002).
In today’s global economy, it has become crucial for individuals to obtain a
higher degree to be marketable in the labor force. Aside from the increase in job

2
opportunities and salaries, college graduates gain more knowledge and broaden
perspectives on their understanding of the world. The social and economic benefits
of higher education are evident. Financially, college graduates provide more revenue
for the government through income taxes and are less likely to depend on public
assistance programs. In general, there is also less crime committed by those who are
educated which in turn, decreases the demand on the criminal justice system, as well.
Policymakers and researchers have found that students who dropout of high school
are four times as likely to be unemployed than their peers who finish college and
those dropouts account for nearly 82 percent of prisoners in the United States
(National Dropout Prevention Center, n.d.). Unfortunately, these statistics may
become a reality for many adolescents attending low performing urban high schools
in California.
According to Grissmer et al. (1998), there are several factors that put low
socioeconomic students at risk for academic failure. These factors may interfere not
only with their success at school but also their opportunities to obtain a college
degree. Some of these external factors consist of: poor nutrition, emotional stress,
poor quality of instruction, low aspirations, and lack of parental involvement in
school (Ormrod, 2003). In high school, these factors, coupled with negative peer
pressure, violence in surrounding communities, and a history of academic failure are
obstacles that prevent students from showing their maximum potential to succeed.
Other research conducted by Conchas (2001) links these issues to historical
immigration patterns of certain subgroups (i.e. African-Americans and Latinos) and

3
explains why some low-income Latinos are not as successful as their White
counterparts. All of the above characteristics can be found in schools that do not
meet the standards under the federal mandate, No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
Jones et al. (2002) indicate that there is a large misconception that K-12 public
schools have adequately addressed past inequalities in providing minority students
access to college. In 1995, 76,000 Latinos graduated from California high schools
and only 2,700 (3.5 percent) enrolled in the University of California (Gandara,
Larson, Rumberger, and Mehan, 1998). According to this statistic, Latinos are
considered the highest risk for school failure and most underrepresented minority at
any institution (with the exception of the Native American subgroup).
The researchers also acknowledge that it is university’s responsibility to provide
outreach programs to minority students and collaborate with urban schools to
facilitate both the “pathway” and “pipeline” to college admission. According to a
report conducted in 1997 by the Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE),
the University of California (UC) has taken a proactive approach to increase
diversity on its campuses by establishing both short and long term goals. Ideally, the
UC Regents expect to maintain the rigorous standards while increasing the number
of historically underrepresented students by: increasing the size of the pool of
students and expanding the existing pool of qualified students. In order to achieve
these long term goals, researchers at PACE recommended the following: (1)
increasing the percentage of students transferring from community colleges; (2)
increasing the eligibility pool for particularly for Latinos students by emphasizing

4
test taking skills, if scores do not meet the minimum eligibility requirements for
admission; (3) providing extensive feedback to high schools on post secondary
performance of students; and (4) focusing on recruitment through establishing more
university outreach programs to target minority students (PACE, 1997).
In 2006, approximately 55,242 students were admitted as freshmen to the
University of California school system. Within this group, the demographics
include: 18.9% Chicano/Latino American, 38.2% Caucasian, 38.6% Asian
American, 3.6% African-American, and 0.7% American Indian (University of
California Office of the President, 2006). Based on the disaggregated data, it is
evident that public universities are struggling to admit underrepresented students
even though these groups represent the majority of the state. This has also been
especially difficult with the elimination of affirmative action in California. To
ensure that universities have access to an ethnically and racially diverse pool of
applicants, radical changes are needed at the high school level.
Transforming School Culture
Fortunately, the demand for more stringent accountability in education has
allowed many K-12 public schools to take initial steps to rectify the situation by
promoting a college going culture. Bolman & Deal (2003) indicate that transforming
“culture is both a product and a process,” where organizations have a dual role not
only to improve themselves but also produce effective leaders to carry on the
knowledge and change in order to succeed (Bolman & Deal, 2003, pp. 243-244).
Similarly, Fullan’s (2005) framework suggests that initiating a culture of change

5
involves: consistent leadership along with a moral purpose, an understanding of
change, relationship building, constructing both knowledge and sharing, as well as
coherence making.
Hopkins et al. (1994) define school culture as it relates to the: (a) vision which
supports the values embraced by stakeholders, (b) typical norms and relationships
among faculty members in regards to teaching methodologies, (c) behaviors and
rituals created by staff members (d) philosophical purpose or meaning behind
learning and teaching, and (e) codes of conduct or rules that new staff members
adapt to. However, cultivating a college going culture in particular can only occur if
leaders train teachers to empower and contextualize what they have learned to
modify their own belief systems, instruction, attitudes, and practices.
The History and the Role of the AVID Program
According to Harvey and Housman (2004), high performing high schools exhibit
certain characteristics which consist of providing: (a) student centered learning based
on stimulating their interests, learning styles, and aptitudes, (b) adequate resources to
incoming freshmen, (c) data driven decision making within individual classrooms,
and (d) personal relationships with students. Other research conducted by
Newmann, Rutter, and Smith (1989) have identified ten organizational factors that
relate to: efficacy, community, and expectations, which ultimately correlates with
having a positive school culture. These factors include: orderly student behavior,
administrator responsiveness, teacher influence on decision making, teacher
knowledge of other teacher’s courses, principal leadership, teacher collaboration,

6
school wide collaboration, in-service programs specific to staff needs, staff
development time, and encouragement of innovation to develop effective classroom
strategies. Conversely, many low performing urban high schools do not have:
adequate resources or funding, a strong leadership team, effective and highly
qualified classroom teachers. These factors need to be considered in order to
improve student achievement in urban high schools. More importantly, they are also
necessary if schools want to promote a college-going culture for their students.
While these characteristics are correlated with success, some low performing
urban schools have implemented a variety of college outreach programs not only to
increase the number of students applying and enrolling in four year universities but
also to change the culture of the school itself. The context of this issue will be
examined under a college preparatory program known as Advancement via
Individual Determination (AVID) which seeks to increase opportunities for minority
or underachieving students to enroll in four year universities by providing both
academic and social support in rigorous courses. The program was established in
1980 by a high school English teacher, Mary Catherine Swanson, who believed that
all students have the ability to succeed if they are held accountable to high standards
and expectations. Currently, the program has expanded exponentially from 32
students in San Diego, California, to approximately 200,000 students in 39 states and
15 different countries around the world (Advancement via Individual Determination,
n.d.). The AVID program seeks to “level the playing field” for all students despite
socioeconomic level, ethnicity, gender, or any other obstacles they have encountered.

7
Since 1990, data have been meticulously collected and schools implementing the
program have reported that: 94.3 percent of AVID students indicate that they are
enrolled in college, 77.1 percent are attending four-year universities, while 17.2
percent are in enrolled at community colleges (Advancement via Individual
Determination, n.d.). In addition, the program is currently being implemented for
students enrolled in public schools as early as the fifth grade.
The mission of AVID is to ensure that all students, including those who are
underrepresented will: (a) succeed in challenging curriculum, (b) complete a
challenging college preparatory path, (c) participate in extra-curricular activities at
school, (d) increase their enrollment in four year universities, and (e) become
educated and good citizens or leaders in a democratic society. The program
specifically targets the average student with grade point averages (GPAs) ranging
from 2.0 to 3.5, who have the motivation and determination to go on to college.
Generally, students who choose to participate in the program have both the desire
(i.e. individual determination) and the potential to succeed in challenging curriculum,
are from a low socioeconomic background, and will be the first in their families to
attend college.
The AVID elective course, professional development, curriculum, teaching
strategies, and district and school wide support are important factors that make the
program successful (Advancement via Individual Determination, n.d.; Guthrie and
Guthrie, 2000). Students enrolled in the AVID elective course have access to a
variety of resources; they learn organizational skills such as time management, study

8
skills, and critical thinking skills that will allow them to succeed. A unique element
of the program relies on the use of college students as both tutors and role models.
As a result, the program seeks to build their self-confidence and self-image to
become leaders at school. AVID elective teachers and content area teachers at the
school site receive support through attending workshops and summer institutes to
reinforce curriculum-writing, inquiry, reading, and collaboration. More importantly,
AVID seeks to revolutionize the perceptions of teachers who believe that low
income minority students cannot succeed. Mehan et al. (1996) acknowledged that
schools (or programs) that track students in high or low achieving academic groups
can cause teachers to have different goals and expectations for them. In addition,
Mehan et al. (1996) have also concluded that tracking has long term detrimental
effects on student achievement. The AVID program attempts to eliminate tracking
and other factors that may influence a teacher’s perceptions and negatively impact a
student’s performance.
In order to retain the high caliber and quality of the AVID program, the AVID
Center requires that schools must receive certification from the local area agency
from implementing the “11 essentials.” According to Advancement via Individual
Determination (n.d.), these essentials are:
1. Students are selected from the middle range (GPA and test scores) and would
benefit from AVID support to improve their academic records and begin
college preparation.

9
2. Student and teacher participation is voluntary.
3. The school is committed to full implementation: AVID is scheduled as an
academic elective.
4. AVID students are enrolled in a rigorous curriculum.
5. A strong, relevant writing curriculum is the foundation for learning in the
AVID elective class.
6. Inquiry is used as a focus for instruction in the AVID classroom.
7. Collaboration is used as a vehicle for instruction in the AVID classroom.
8. Trained tutors regularly facilitate student access to rigorous curriculum using
AVID methodologies.
9. Program implementation and student progress are monitored through the
AVID Data System and results are analyzed to ensure success.
10. The school or district identifies resources for program costs, supports the
Essentials, participates in certification, and commits to AVID staff
development.
11. Active, interdisciplinary site teams collaborate on issues of access to and
success in rigorous college preparatory classes.
The AVID site team, a small learning community, is composed of all the
stakeholders (i.e. students, faculty, AVID elective teachers, administrators, college
tutors, and parents) who meet frequently to discuss how to improve the program and
is ultimately responsible for getting the school certified. A comprehensive rubric

10
(designated as not AVID, meets standard, routine use, or institutionalization) based
on the eleven essentials, is provided to each school site every year to reflect and
analyze on their own practices. There are seven categories of certification which
include: new AVID site, affiliate AVID site, certified AVID site, certified and
eligible to become AVID demonstration school, certified with distinction, inactive,
and de-certified site. Typically, most schools successfully implementing the
program receive certification, and schools that exceed the minimum standards are
designated as demonstration sites. Regional offices train teachers through on-going
one day workshops monthly and the week long summer institutes yearly.
Purpose of the Study
Research has documented the positive achievement outcomes minority students
receive from participating in the AVID program (Watt, Powell, & Mendiola, 2004;
Cunningham, Redmond, & Merisotis, 2003; Watt, Yanez, & Cossio, 2003; Guthrie
& Guthrie, 2002; Guthrie & Guthrie, 2000; Mehan, Villanueva, Hubbard, & Lintz,
1996; Hayward, Brandes, Kirst, & Mazzeo, 1997; U.S. Department of Education,
Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 1998; Gandara, Larson,
Rumberger, & Mehan, 1998). Other research documents the qualitative experience
of students who participate in AVID (Mehan et al, 1996; Guthrie & Guthrie, 2002;
Guthrie & Guthrie, 2000). However, the purpose of this study is to examine how the
AVID program seeks to change the school overall to be one that emphasizes a
college going culture. It will examine: (a) how the effectiveness AVID along with
its policy and structural changes support the mission of establishing a college going

11
culture; (b) how site and district administrators contribute by supporting the AVID
techniques and strategies school wide; and (c) how the program has transformed
teachers’ beliefs about underrepresented students attending four year universities.
Ultimately, the goal of the study is to identify factors within a large urban high
school that contribute to maximizing the number of minority students enrolling in
four year institutions.
Research Questions
This qualitative case study seeks to address how the AVID program has
impacted the culture of a low performing and high poverty urban high school in
California. Specifically, the case study will address the following overarching
question:
How does the AVID program contribute to changing the culture of the
school?
The following sub-questions will also be investigated:
a. What policy and structural changes have been made school wide to
support the overall AVID mission of college going?
b. How do site and district administrators contribute to the
implementation of AVID practices school wide?
c. How has the AVID program changed teachers' beliefs about
minority students attending four year universities?
It aims to develop an increased understanding of what specific factors within
AVID program contributes to changing the academic culture of the school. It will

12
focus on: organizational changes within the school, teacher perceptions, and
administrative support.
Significance of the Study
Presently, research on how an intervention program like AVID contributes to
school wide culture change is relatively new. Research on successful
implementation of reform within urban high schools is especially limited (Siskin,
1991; Corbett, Firestone, & Rossman, 1987). As stated previously, there is an
inverse relationship between the number of minorities enrolled in low performing
urban high schools and their college admittance rate. Qualitative data will be
compiled to assist all stakeholders involved and improve decisions as well as
leadership at the site level. The qualitative nature of the study will contribute to the
body of literature in regards to utilizing large scale educational reform and will
enable practitioners to study the effects of the program on school culture. The results
of the case study will further assist other high schools with similar demographics and
characteristics to increase equity and access to college.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
The AVID program began here in 2002 in six high schools. By 2008, every high
school in Baltimore County will have AVID. Already, the teachers, staff, and
administrators hail the program and comment regularly about its significantly
positive impact. But most important, AVID is not just a program intended to address
the needs of students selected for an AVID class. Rather, it is a school wide reform
effort that is intended to reach all students by providing additional support and
revising the ways in which professional staff address the needs of students. With our
planned expansion of the project, Baltimore County Public Schools is on the way to
becoming the flagship system for AVID in Maryland.”- Dr. Joe A. Hairston,
Superintendent, Baltimore County Schools, Maryland (Advancement via Individual
Determination, n.d.).
The AVID program seeks to increase educational opportunities for minorities
and underachieving students to enroll in four year universities by providing both
academic and social support in rigorous courses. AVID seeks to target not only
minority students but also those designated as first generation and low income
students. Although there is a considerable amount of research on the success of
AVID, the current review will focus on how the program has contributed to the
change in school culture. In order to navigate through the review of the literature,
four key areas will be considered:

14
1. An examination of how the AVID program has increased student
achievement and utilizes social support systems and structures.
2. An examination of policy and structural changes that have been made school
wide to support the overall AVID mission of producing a college going
culture.
3. An examination of how site and district administrators contribute to the
implementation of AVID strategies and practices school wide.
4. An examination of how the AVID program has changed teachers’ beliefs
about minority students attending four year universities.
Research on AVID
Initially, the AVID program focused on reforming an individual school. The
success of the program was based on increases in student achievement of those
enrolled in AVID within individual schools. The culmination of changes has
evidently escalated reform to a macro level, nationwide. During the 2006-07 school
year, the AVID program was implemented in over 2,700 schools nationally and
throughout the world (Advancement via Individual Determination, n.d.). Datnow,
Hubbard, and Mehan (2002) have referred to this radical transition as the “scaling up
phenomenon,” where reform began externally and has moved to multiple settings.
Since 1980, a considerable amount of research has been conducted in regards to
student achievement after the inception of the program. Therefore, this review of
AVID literature will focus on policy and structural changes at the site level.

15
Student Achievement
The success of students within the AVID program can be measured quite
differently using a variety of performance indicators. This section will discuss
research that measures student achievement based on: college acceptance rates,
enrollment in rigorous courses (Advanced Placement or honors), and grade point
average (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2000; Mehan et al., 1999; Watt, Powell, & Mendiola,
2004).
Guthrie and Guthrie (2000) conducted an extensive longitudinal study to
evaluate the AVID program’s impact on middle school students as they transition to
high school. The researchers focused on college awareness, literacy, and math skills
and also tracked AVID middle school students at one site as they transition to high
school, compared to non-AVID students. They measured “success” of middle school
AVID students in high school by looking at courses and academic performance
compared to non-AVID students. Since the primary purpose of AVID is college
access for underrepresented minorities, Guthrie and Guthrie (2000) also tracked the
impact program beyond high school-student experiences, statewide expansion, and
their enrollment at a university. Furthermore, of the 100 students surveyed Guthrie
and Guthrie (2000) specified that:
• 84 percent of students who participated in the AVID program in high school
were accepted to a four-year university compared to the average of only 34
percent in California.

16
• Approximately 75 percent of students reported that they were attending a
four-year university, which is three times more than California’s average.
• 85 percent of the AVID students surveyed in the study are optimistic about
graduating from a university within four to five years.
The findings further indicate that there is a positive correlation between students
who participated in AVID in middle school and high school GPA. In addition,
students enrolled in the AVID program were more likely to complete the “A-G”
University of California requirements compared to non-AVID students in high
school. Although the research conducted by Guthrie and Guthrie (2000) indicated
that the program had a positive impact on student achievement, they noted that it was
crucial to increase the sample size, use different sources of data, and analyze the
impact across different high schools.
In Constructing School Success, Mehan, Villanueva, Hubbard, and Lintz (1996)
analyzed approximately 1,053 student records of students graduating from the AVID
program from 1990-1992 in eight high schools that successfully implemented the
AVID program in San Diego, California. Official school records and transcripts,
standardized test scores, student/teacher/parent surveys, and classroom observations
were used to examine student achievement. After interviewing nearly 248 students,
Mehan et al. (1998) found:
• 48 percent of the students indicated that they were currently attending a four
year college and 40 percent were enrolled in two year community colleges,

17
while 12 percent specified that they were working or participating in other
activities.
• 43 percent of Latinos who were enrolled in the AVID program for at least
three years were attending four year colleges while the national average was
only 29 percent in 1998.
• 55 percent of African-American students who participated in AVID for three
years or more enrolled in four year colleges while the national average was
33 percent in 1998.
Mehan et al. (1996) concluded that “untracking” through the AVID program
improved achievement of underrepresented minority students. AVID students were
taught: Cornell note taking skills, study techniques, and test taking strategies that
helped them excel in rigorous courses in high school. Interestingly, the research also
showed that students who were from the lowest socioeconomic backgrounds and
who participated in the AVID program for at least three years have the same chance
or even greater likelihood to attend four year colleges compared to students from the
higher socioeconomic backgrounds.
Both sets of researchers conducted longitudinal studies that used quantitative or
qualitative data to measure student achievement. The first study (Guthrie & Guthrie,
2000) focused on tracking student achievement of AVID students from middle
school to high school using primarily high school GPA and college preparatory
courses, compared to non-AVID students. The second major study conducted by
Mehan et al. (1996) concentrated on increasing student achievement through

18
untracking minority students in high schools. As the above discussion implies, the
prior success of the AVID program illuminated very important commonalities, such
as increasing access and supporting minority students who are enrolled in rigorous,
college preparatory courses.
Research conducted by Watt, Yanez, and Cossio (2002) used baseline data from
1998-1999 consisting of: GPAs, attendance, course enrollment, and standardized test
scores of nearly 1,000 students in twenty-six high schools in Texas. Using both
quantitative and qualitative methods, the results indicated:
• AVID student enrollment increased and the program will continue to expand.
• Advanced Placement instructors (not apart of the site team) encouraged
students to enroll in rigorous courses and indicated that they were interested
in learning more about the AVID program.
• AVID students outperformed their peers on state mandated exams, GPA,
graduation rates, and attendance.
• Lastly, 92 percent of students were “on track” for graduating while 91
percent completed the minimum requirements for college.
The findings are consistent with previous studies conducted by Guthrie and
Guthrie (2000) and Mehan et al. (1999). It further confirmed that the AVID program
does impact school policy and structures and administrative support is necessary to
ensure access to college for minority students. More importantly, implementation of
the program has challenged the myth that minority students are incapable of
excelling in rigorous courses.

19
Watt, Powell, Mendiola, and Cossio (2006) continued to examine how the AVID
program seeks to improve their statewide accountability ratings while promoting a
college going culture at ten high schools and five districts in 1999 in Texas. The
high schools also chose to abide by the “11 essentials” in order to be certified as a
site. Over a four year period, data was collected and disaggregated based on school
performance indicators. These indicators include: Advanced Placement (AP) results,
graduation/retention rates, honors or advanced course enrollment, and percentage of
students attending college. They were used to determine whether schools have
improved in their statewide accountability ratings. The schools were matched based
on similar student demographics and compared to non-AVID schools. The results
specified that:
• High schools in Texas that implemented the AVID program improved in all
areas of the accountability ratings whereas non-AVID schools only improved
slightly.
• In terms of advanced course enrollment, AVID schools showed a significant
increase in rigorous courses whereas non-AVID schools showed a decrease
in enrollment.
• High schools and districts where AVID was implemented fully showed an
increase in graduation whereas non-AVID schools showed a decrease in
graduation.

20
• At both AVID and non-AVID sites, there was an increase in the number of
graduates who received a higher distinction with their graduation plans-either
“recommended or distinguished” (Watt et al., 2006).
Both studies indicated that AVID has increased the number of students:
participating in the program, graduating from high school, and enrolling in college
preparatory and rigorous courses. However, looking at the effects of AVID on
student achievement is only one factor. Therefore, it is important to investigate how
students are excelling by analyzing the different types of support systems they are
receiving.
Social Support Systems
The academic and social support systems embedded allows AVID students to
interact with their peers regardless of socioeconomic, ethnic, or linguistic
backgrounds (Advancement via Individual Determination, n.d.). It adds one more
dimension contributing to the success and expansion of the AVID program. Students
within an AVID cohort typically enroll in the same elective course and teacher over
the entire four years of their high school career. The increased personalization
allows students in large urban high schools to connect not only with the AVID
elective teacher but with their peers and school as well (Advancement via Individual
Determination, n.d.). This section will trace the cultural-ecological model to
understand why schools need to provide minority students with adequate support
systems. It will also review research on how students acquire social and cultural
capital from AVID to help them succeed.

21
The Cultural-Ecological Model. Recognizing that support systems within
schools need to be in place, Conchas (2001) and Ogbu (1990) used a historical lens
known as the cultural ecological model in categorizing the immigration status of
minority students. This model provides a theoretical framework to understand why it
is especially important for minority students to have support systems. Ogbu’s (1990)
research indicates that there are “involuntary minorities” and “voluntary minorities.”
Involuntary minorities are individuals who immigrate to a country because they were
coerced to do so through colonization, conquest, or slavery. In contrast, voluntary
minorities are those who immigrated because of economic or political opportunities
(Ogbu, 1990). Because of this distinction, involuntary minorities (generally), choose
not to excel academically or assimilate in reaping the benefits from education.
According to Mehan, Hubbard, and Villanueva (1994), these individuals “challenge
and disengage” the American educational system. The AVID program attempts to
change this phenomenon for involuntary minorities by providing access and
opportunity for those who are motivated to succeed. AVID utilizes structures for
support and provides the necessary tools for minority students to overcome obstacles
that they may encounter.
Using the same data set collected from Mehan et al. (1996), Gandara et al. (1998)
investigated whether low achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds would
reap the benefits in a rigorous class filled with high achieving, college bound
students. Gandara et al. (1998) concluded that parents and teachers play a pivotal
role in providing adequate support and must believe that their child can and will

22
succeed academically. The study reaffirms the significance of obtaining cultural and
social capital in changing the structures of urban schools.
Cultural and Social Capital. Bourdieu (1986) has coined the concept of cultural
capital in which he explains that there is a system of attributes, such as language
skills, cultural knowledge, and mannerisms from an individual’s parents which
further categorizes one’s social class. Cultural capital can be measured by the
primary language spoken at home, parent’s expectations for their child’s success, or
parent’s education level, which are factors that have a strong influence on academic
success in school. Because cultural resources (knowledge, practices, and artifacts)
have different values by society, these characteristics can perpetuate both advantages
and disadvantages for students (Monkman, Ronald, & Theramene, F., 2005).
Activities that may lead to attaining higher cultural capital includes reading a variety
of genres in literature, visiting museums or attending operas, and immersing
themselves into the mainstream culture. Examples of these practices include:
speaking and participating in class, questioning the teacher, or even working in
cooperative groups. As a result of these practices, AVID students have the
opportunity to overcome the cultural barriers. The AVID program explicitly expects
the elective teacher to be culturally aware of the barriers, develop meaningful
relationships with students, and utilize effective teaching strategies to resolve these
inequities.
Coleman (1988) explains social capital as it relates to obligations and
expectations, information channels, and social norms. It is the resources attained

23
through participation in social networks for membership in a group and reciprocating
those resources for either social benefits or purely self-interest. Resources include
access to additional social networks, relationships, information, language, money,
physical goods, etc (Monkman et al., 2005). For example, the typical AVID student
will need to network or utilize the available resources at school if he or she is
struggling academically. Specifically, the AVID student may choose to attend an
after school tutoring program, ask the teacher to obtain useful study tips, or join a
study group with his or her AVID peers to review for an exam. Developing one’s
social capital and being successful in school requires not only simply learning and
mastering technical skills but decoding (or making sense) of the system (Stanton-
Salazar, 1997). Since AVID students are generally first generation college students,
they need adequate scaffolding because they are overwhelmed with the application
process and often undergo cognitive overload. AVID provides the students with
“social scaffolding” and “explicitly teaches aspects of implicit classroom culture and
the hidden curriculum of the school” (Mehan et al., 1996, p. 81).
In sum, the review of literature suggests that the success of minority students is
contingent on providing educational and social support systems which allow students
to adapt to their challenging academic environment (Conchas, 2001; Ogbu 1990;
Mehan et al., 1996; Bourdieu 1986; Coleman 1988; Monkman et al., 2005; Stanton-
Salazar, 1997). Students need to be equipped with the necessary tools and utilize
their social and academic support systems. The tools and support can be
accumulated within the AVID elective class. The AVID elective class provides

24
students with: organizational and study skills, critical thinking skills, academic help
from peers and college tutors, their self-image, and motivational activities that make
college more attainable (Advancement via Individual Determination, n.d.) This
allows students to become leaders at and role models at their schools. Thus, it is
evident that support systems contribute to individual student success and increased
access to higher education.
Aside from highlighting the success of student achievement and use of
support systems, it is also important to discuss the implementation of AVID practices
and methodologies school wide. While there is no formal standards-based
curriculum within the AVID program, there is a structured curriculum that teachers
are expected to use if the site is to be categorized as “AVID certified.” To further
investigate exactly whether the AVID program’s policies and organizational
structures has had a direct effect on student success, Guthrie and Guthrie (2002)
expanded their research to examine the “11 Essentials” of AVID and the school wide
impact of AVID as a reform model. After conducting the research, the policy
changes were directed by the AVID Center to various school districts. Data was
collected from eight programs that fully utilized the “11 Essentials” to support the
program’s mission. The researchers emphasized that AVID coordinators and leaders
must promote the program within the school in order for students to feel a sense of
unity and pride belonging to the program. Although the schools varied in their
process of implementing the AVID program itself, it shared the following
commonalities:

25
• Schools did not require all teachers to use AVID strategies and
methodologies such as “Cornell Note Taking” or using “Binder Checks,” but
they chose to teach study skills to their students.
• All faculty members had high expectations for all students and there was
open access to rigorous curriculum, including honors and Advanced
Placement courses.
• All faculty members were involved in the school’s decision making and
reform process, especially the AVID site team, which was a priority at all
sites.
• Student data (including AVID) is the focus of professional development days
and collaboration meetings.
• The AVID program has an immediate impact on teachers’ beliefs and their
students’ success in going to college.
• Finally, the culture of the AVID classroom is based on teacher and peer
support in shaping: life long learners, accountability, responsibility,
collaboration, discipline, inquiry, and determination for all students (Guthrie
and Guthrie, 2002).
The significance of collecting quantitative data (i.e. percentage of AVID students
going to college and enrolled in rigorous courses, number of AVID elective courses,
etc) for planning, documenting student success, and improving the program has
increased its effectiveness. The results from the study further indicate that the AVID
program has a positive effect on the school itself and in producing a college-going

26
culture. To cultivate a college-going culture, urban high schools must: support all
students socially and academically by giving them the opportunity to enroll in
college preparatory courses, provide effective school and district leadership capable
of implementing positive changes to support student learning, and train all teachers
to believe that all students can (and will) succeed (Sather, 1999; Guthrie and Guthrie
2002; Mehan et al., 1999; Watt, Powell, & Mendiola, 2004). The current study will
add to the body of literature within the AVID program by using a qualitative
approach to examine the change in school culture by identifying factors at an
individual school site that contributes to maximizing the number of minority students
enrolling in four year institutions. It will also analyze how AVID has impacted the
culture of a low performing and high poverty urban high school in California. Thus,
the next section of the literature review will focus on the significance of school
culture.
Research on School Culture
Hyslop (2006) stresses the significance of establishing a positive school culture
for students to succeed and acknowledges that there must be a critical role for
mentors, engagement from all stakeholders involved, and a sense of community at
the school site. For this to be successfully executed, students, parents, faculty
members, and administrators must share a common vision in promoting student
achievement. However, high schools appear to exhibit a resistance to change,
especially if it is unplanned. Furthermore, Siskin (1991) found that high schools
possess subcultures within academic departments, which creates a structural

27
challenge. These structural barriers include teaching in isolation and a lack of
communication between faculty members. Departments within schools tend to
divide the faculty into different worlds, show distinctive cultures, and control
decisions about resources, tasks, and careers. In other words, departments are
subcultures that play a vital role in shaping the culture and authority of high schools.
In reality, these structural challenges may inhibit reform at the high school level.
While creating a positive school culture is important, the literature on changing
high school culture within the context of the AVID program is rather limited.
Therefore, this section of the literature review will focus more generally on factors
that contribute to changing school culture. It will highlight: how schools attempt to
reform through “restructuring” and “reculturing,” how effective leadership is needed
in order to change school culture, and how meaningful professional development
practices contribute to reforming the school culture.
Restructuring and Reculturing
To initiate successful change, Fullan (2001) acknowledges that there are two
types of reform that schools must undergo which are: “reculturing” and
“restructuring.” Restructuring involves changing policies, procedures, programs,
schedules, and other similar activities within a school’s organization while
reculturing is the process in which teachers use inquiry to change their own belief
systems and practices (Fullan, 2001, p. 34). Firestone (1989) found that creating a
high quality school climate in which both students and faculty members are

28
productive and satisfied involves establishing a sense of community and cannot
occur due to fragmented efforts.
In terms of restructuring and reculturing a school, Conchas (2001) conducted a
major qualitative study to portray how institutional mechanisms influence student
engagement. Specifically, Conchas (2001) clearly showed that school structures and
practices had a profound effect on student achievement. The study focused on the
Latinos who participated in “smaller learning communities” consisting of three
academic programs at a racially diverse, low income urban high school in California.
The three academic programs- the Advanced Placement program, Graphics
Academy, and Medical Academy, had vastly different curriculums ranging from
health-related careers to computer technology. The experiences of participating
students within each program were compared and contrasted to the experiences of
those students in a general education curriculum at Baldwin High School in Oakland.
After interviewing and observing the students, teachers, and school site, Conchas
(2001) concluded that the high school maintained social inequities among students of
different races and did not promote equal access to the three programs. As a result,
racial tension was evident within Latino subcultures and other heterogeneous groups
at Baldwin High School. Moreover, Latinos were aware that African-Americans and
Latino students were enrolled in the low track classes while Asian-Americans and
Whites were in rigorous courses. Ethnic segregation and structural racism divided
the students socially and limited their interactions with one another.

29
In essence, students who were involved in the three academic programs received
social scaffolding (although highly successful) but continued to lack self-confidence
around their White and Asian counterparts. Latinos who participated in the
programs also conformed to school processes and continued to challenge themselves
by becoming more competitive to achieve their academic goals but were also
isolated and stressed out. Unfortunately, students who enrolled in a general
education program without rigorous courses were subjected to “marginalization,
pessimisms, low achievement, and racial divisions” at the high school (Conchas,
2001, p. 481). From these findings, Conchas (2001) concluded that the school’s
structure and culture have an impact on student engagement and academic
achievement.
Other research in educational reform has also examined the concrete relationship
of student achievement and school culture. Gruenert (2005) conducted a
comprehensive study that designed a survey to monitor collaboration among faculty
members in 81 schools (35 elementary, 18 middle schools, and 28 high schools) in
Indiana for restructuring and reculturing the schools. He proposed that a school’s
culture will change and student achievement will increase as it becomes more
collaborative. Furthermore, he recognized that there are six variables highly
correlated with student achievement in schools. Gruenert (2005) further states and
defines the following variables as follows:
1. Unity of purpose-the role of how the philosophy or vision of the
school has an impact on teaching

30
2. Collaborative leadership-the interaction or relationship teachers
have with administrators
3. Professional development-the attitudes and perceptions teachers
have towards embracing different ideas and reforming the school
4. Teacher collaboration-the significance of teacher’s behaviors
shaped by collaborative environments
5. Collegial support-the relationship and encouragement within the
faculty members
6. Learning partnership-the interaction between teachers, parents, and
other stakeholders
Interestingly, the results revealed that within the sample of high schools studied,
school student performance on math and language arts standardized exams is
positively correlated with a collaborative school culture, where professional
development, unity of purpose, and a learning partnership is evident. Evidently,
meaningful collaboration and strong communication among teachers can improve
student achievement.
To recap, Conchas (2001) focused on reforming the academic culture of one
school through using smaller learning communities to empower its students. Efforts
to restructure the school failed because the smaller learning communities only
benefited students who participated. As a result, it increased segregation and racial
tensions within the school. Reculturing was also unsuccessful, since both teachers
and students failed to change their belief systems and practices. Based on these

31
results, schools must carefully consider the impact of reculturing and restructuring
school policies before implementing them. In contrast, Gruenert, (2005) also
explored both reculturing and restructuring while linking teacher collaboration to
student achievement in eighty-one schools. This study differed from Conchas (2001)
and was more successful in changing the academic climate because teachers had a
common goal and worked collaboratively with parents and their colleagues. Both
studies reveal that teachers and administrators must also acknowledge that changing
the school culture is a complex process and it involves more than implementing
policy and structural changes. Teacher buy-in, motivation, support, and effective
leadership are other factors that also contribute to school wide change. The context
of this issue will be explored further in the next section in examining the role of
leadership within school cultures.
The Importance of School Leadership
Many researchers have attributed the success of school reform to effective
leadership that is aimed at improving the school culture (DuFour, 2002; Fullan &
Hargreaves, 1996; Short & Greer, 2002, Sparks, 2002; Zimmerman, 2005). Leaders
are individuals who borrow ideas of others, package them effectively, and
communicate them powerfully (Bolman & Deal, 1994). Essentially, leadership is
primarily about building meaningful relationships by creating coalitions, mentoring
others, and forming alliances to empower those who are passionate about change.
Throughout history, many influential leaders have been successful at: transferring
ownership to complete an environment where each person is responsible, and

32
coaching the development of personal capabilities, and learning fast themselves as
well as encouraging others to learn as quickly (Belasco & Stayer, 1994; Firestone,
1989; Bass & Avolio, 1994). More specifically, a school principal’s actions,
attitudes, collaborative behaviors and communication all have an impact on school
culture and student achievement (Fullan & Hargreaves, 1996; Short & Greer, 2002;
Sparks, 2002; Zimmerman, 2005). Based on these characteristics, collaboration and
leadership are linked with one another and are extremely important if a school plans
to initiate positive reform.
In Heroes, Teams, and Teachers: A Study of Leadership for Change, Heller and
Firestone (1994) identified several factors sustaining reform and change which
include: maintaining a vision for change, supporting staff members, changing
organizational and operating procedures, and monitoring for further progress. Heller
and Firestone (1994) used a program entitled Social Problem Solving (SPS) to
initiate change and enhance teacher leadership in eight elementary schools. District
administrators selected teachers to participate in the curriculum that focused on
enriching a student’s critical thinking skills in response to substance abuse. After the
selection process was completed, an SPS team was formed consisting of teachers,
administrators, and counselors to monitor the effectiveness of the program through
student achievement. The researchers found that four schools successfully
institutionalized the SPS program while three schools did so poorly and one school
needed more support in regards to the implementation due to changes within the
administration at the site.

33
In the final analysis, fully institutionalized schools using SPS differed vastly
from those that did not. Differences were found primarily in classroom practices,
student behavior, and support for the program’s purpose. Students became immersed
within the program and used the common language as teachers did: “listening
position, be your best, sharing circle,” etc. Restructuring was evident within the
program since teachers had to adapt to standard procedures in embedding the content
of the program to the existing health curriculum and set time aside for teaching it. It
was also clear that an SPS consultant was monitoring whether teachers had actually
used the programs through conducting observations in their classrooms. The
principal at one school where SPS was successfully implemented reported that there
were less discipline problems and teachers were very optimistic about the program.
More importantly, there was evidence that the principal stated: “We have to
encourage teachers. Encouragement and commitment: the principal is the key”
(Heller & Firestone, 1994, p. 17). While teachers in schools that did not implement
the SPS curriculum fully indicated: “I don’t feel Mr. _______ has a particular stake
in (SPS)” (Heller & Firestone, 1994, p. 17).
The institutionalization of the SPS curriculum shares a very similar pattern to the
AVID program. Both programs involve restructuring, exhibit a form of
accountability, one highly dependent on the site administration for direction (and
support), and focus on teacher buy-in to successfully institutionalize the program
(Guthrie & Guthrie, 2002; Advancement via Individual Determination, n.d.; Heller
& Firestone, 1994). For the AVID program specifically, institutionalization means

34
that methodologies and strategies are used school-wide. Moreover, the curriculum is
highly visible to students. Students enrolled in AVID demonstration schools know
how to take Cornell Notes and participate actively in Socratic Seminars
(Advancement via Individual Determination, n.d.). However, the most important
factor in both programs is the leadership of the program. With schools that
institutionalized the AVID program the principals in the Guthrie and Guthrie (2002)
study stated:
The key to AVID success? Martha Hoopes (the AVID coordinator). “You can
have a good team, but if you don’t have a good leader, that team isn’t going to be
able to play the game. She is the team leader, the driving force of that program”
–Emma Jones, Principal Central Union High School (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2002, p.
14).
“The way to succeed with students and get them into college is to make it a self-
fulfilling prophesy: Say, ‘you will go to college’ and they will do it. The school
culture has been AVID-ized”—Mark Steffler, Principal Fallbrook High School
(Guthrie & Guthrie, 2002, p. 31).
At another site, teachers at Coachella Valley High School in Thermal, California
also attribute part of the change in school culture to the AVID program, where
members of the English department all attended the annual AVID Summer Institute
and they were trained on instructional strategies and techniques (Guthrie & Guthrie,
2002). The next section of the literature review will highlight the value of effective

35
professional development more generally to reform the culture of the school within
AVID.
Professional Development
Holloway (2003) indicates that schools need to use student assessment results to
drive professional development needs and to design them accordingly. It is the
school’s responsibility to assist teachers by providing adequate training in using
student assessment to improve their teaching practices. By definition, professional
development can include: attending conferences, enrolling in a course to increase
knowledge, participating in action research, mentoring or supervising preservice
teachers, presenting workshops, etc. Professional development is often viewed as a
continuous process so that goals are established and achieved by faculty members.
More importantly, it can be used as a tool for solutions to solve problems for making
school wide changes. To reform low performing urban schools, effective
professional development programs are needed to enhance the knowledge and
instruction for in-service teachers. Within schools, meaningful activities must be
implemented during staff development or collaboration days to improve student
learning and performance.
Pritchard and Marshall (2002) indicate that the goal of professional
development is to implement as well as sustain necessary changes for a learning
organization. However, effective professional development can only occur if school
officials change the culture of the school and train teachers to contextualize what
they have learned in order to modify their belief systems, instruction, attitudes, and

36
practices. Essentially, effective professional development occurs when school
districts: (1) value teacher’s attitudes and abilities, (2) train and ensure that
classroom teachers have both content and pedagogical knowledge, (3) communicate
and plan all parties involved in student learning and stake holders, (4) encourage
teachers to assume multiple roles as mentors and problem solvers, (5) provide
unconditional support to staff members, (6) create innovative inservice activities, and
(7) possess active leaders within schools (Pritchard & Marshall, 2002). Teachers and
administrators at schools where effective professional development is implemented
strive to align their goals and expectations to address curriculum and learning for all
students. Individuals must be able to construct new knowledge and meaning from
the information presented, reflect on it, and apply it.
Firestone, Mangin, Martinez, and Polovsky (2005) used action research to
compare three urban school districts in New Jersey that utilized professional
development to strengthen a teacher’s understanding and ability to apply and use the
knowledge obtained from their training. In training teachers, the districts
emphasized: (1) content about the subjects taught (2) pedagogy or teaching methods
(3) diversifying and understanding a student’s needs. In regards to evaluating
professional development, the researchers emphasized: coherence (depth versus
breadth of covering a topic), distribution of time (one day workshops versus multiple
days), and instructional approaches (problem solving or role playing). Seven
categories where identified after interviewing teachers which are as follows:
demographics, professional development received, follow-up support, effect of

37
professional development, and barriers to implementing and receiving professional
development (Firestone et al., 2005). Firestone et al. (2005) concluded that the
district that implemented the most effective professional development focused on
increasing a teacher’s content and pedagogical knowledge and provided support
through funding resources and allocating time for teachers to collaborate.
Professional development related to AVID is designed to influence the
implementation of the program school wide (Advancement via Individual
Determination, n.d.). Effective professional development is one of the fundamental
aspects of the AVID program and is critical for the success in transforming the
culture of the school (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2002; Advancement via Individual
Determination, n.d.). Without knowledge, access to adequate resources, or training
from the AVID Summer Institutes, reform would fail. After attending AVID
Summer Institutes, teachers become more equipped with both pedagogical and
content knowledge and are able to collaborate with their colleagues (Advancement
via Individual Determination, n.d.). Thereby, these teachers eventually assume an
informal role as a teacher leader and train other teachers during staff development
days. School districts and site administrators that support the full institutionalization
of the AVID program make it a priority for their teachers to be trained in order to
change the academic culture of the school. In summary, the research on changing
school culture, with an emphasis on leadership and professional development
activities, indicates that teachers serving in urban schools with high concentrations of

38
minority students must receive adequate support from administrators and receive
meaningful and on-going professional development.
Research on Teacher Beliefs and Perceptions
To successfully execute school reform and change the academic culture, teachers
must also believe that all students: (1) can learn (2) have the potential to succeed in
challenging courses and (3) can attend a four year university, if teachers scaffold
them with the academic and social tools (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2000; Guthrie &
Guthrie, 2002; Mehan et al., 1999; Watt, Powell, & Mendiola, 2004). Thus, the last
section of the literature review will focus on teacher perceptions towards minority
students. Specifically, it will also include studies conducted on the effect of teacher
beliefs on African-American student achievement.
Previous research conducted by Finn & Voelkl (1993) and Janosz et al. (2000)
suggests that there are several strategies that teachers can do to support student
success and learning. They have acknowledged that teachers can make a tremendous
impact by: creating a warm classroom environment, making content engaging and
pertinent to student’s lives, providing more academic support (i.e. tutoring,
interacting, giving structured and clear tasks, and providing more feedback towards
their progress) and demanding high expectations. These expectations may either
positively or negatively influence classroom instruction as well as the interaction
with students. Moreover, Ormrod (2003) indicates, “Teachers’ expectations and
attributions may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy: what teachers expect students to
achieve becomes from what students actually do achieve” (p. 421). Gehrke (2005)

39
indicates that successful teachers in urban schools share the following
characteristics: knowing themselves, knowing the environment they teach, and
maintaining high expectations for all students. If teachers believe that minority
students cannot excel in rigorous courses or get accepted to college, this expectation
will negatively impact a student’s self-confidence and desire to succeed in school.
One student reflected on the preferential treatment and differences in expectations
while being interviewed in a study conducted by Conchas (2001):
(Translated from Spanish) For instance, my teacher and I’m in Graphics, he goes
up to (an) Asian student, looks at his work and says, you can do better. With me,
however, he simply says…It’s all right. But he never says I can do better, right?
He is like telling me, for me (as a Mexican), it is all right. Like if I cannot do
better than that, is the best I can do. And I do not like that (Conchas, 2001, p.
480).
On the other hand, the success of the AVID weighs heavily on having high
expectations for all students to succeed. Since the students are tracked within the
same cohort, they develop a relationship with the AVID elective teacher, have
positive peer models, and learn vicariously from both their classmates and teachers.
In addition, high expectations for all students formed by AVID elective teachers
needs to be promoted within the culture of the school.
To portray how teacher perceptions effect student achievement among African-
American students, Love & Kruger (2005) conducted two inter-related studies. The
initial study focused on the beliefs of teachers in six urban schools with a high

40
concentration of African-American students while the second correlated these beliefs
with standardized exams in math, reading, and language arts. In the results of the
survey, teachers’ beliefs were divided into six distinct categories which are:
knowledge, student’s culture, ethnicity and race, social relations within the
classroom, teaching practices as a profession, and student’s weaknesses and
strengths (Love & Kruger, 2005). The researchers found that teachers’ beliefs
significantly correlated with students’ achievement on the standardized tests.
Another major qualitative study focusing specifically on African-American
students conducted by Hubbard and Mehan (1999) entitled, Race and Reform:
Educational “Niche Picking” in a Hostile Environment, examined how the
implementation of the AVID program improved academic achievement for African-
Americans at a high school in North Carolina. Although the high school had an 84
percent college going rate, the achievement gap between African-American students
and their White counterparts is clearly evident. The purpose of the case study was
to: (a) explain the process of reform in the context of school improvement, (b)
investigate the relationships and actions formed both structurally and culturally, and
(c) demonstrate how racism and views towards intelligence become barriers towards
school reform. Hubbard and Mehan (1999) conducted intensive interviews and
observations with faculty members, administrators, students, and parents.
More specifically, reform under the AVID model was a challenge since the
community had “long standing and deep-seated beliefs about the intellectual
inferiority of Black students and some resistant White educators use of the discourse

41
meritocracy to shield their advanced and college preparatory classes from minority
students” (Hubbard & Mehan, 1999, p. 215). At the school, nearly 68 percent of
African-American students had two or more D’s or F’s compared to only 15 percent
of White or 11 percent of Asian American students. African-American students, for
the most part, were denied access and opportunity to Advanced Placement (AP)
courses, which created an informal tracking system at the school. This is also
consistent in the aforementioned study conducted by Conchas (2001), where both
African-Americans and Latinos were underrepresented in the AP program.
The researchers concluded that structural changes were needed. In addition, the
school needed to confront racist attitudes exhibited towards the intellectual capability
of African-American students to reform the school culture. Four years later, full
implementation of the AVID program at the school was still a failure because of the
racial dynamics within the school. The immediate failure of the program was
attributed to the preconceived notions about race and intelligence of African-
Americans and it posed a major threat to AP teachers and privileged parents.
Hubbard and Mehan (1999) concluded that AVID would never be able to expand
school wide and has referred to the program as a “safe niche,” where opportunity is
only available to assist less than 10 percent of student population at a school. The
findings of the study reaffirms that teacher perceptions of minority students have a
profound effect on student achievement as well as the overall school culture. If
teachers do not have positive views about minority student achievement, they are
unlikely to support the cultivation of a college going culture in an urban high school.

42
Conclusion
Summary
The literature mentioned previously will serve as a tool to understand how the
AVID program seeks to influence school culture and formulate possible relationships
in regards to: structural and policy changes, leadership roles from site and district
administration, and teachers’ perceptions about students of color. In addition, the
review of literature from this chapter also explored reform in terms of school culture
by examining three fundamental areas: the relationship between the effectiveness of
the AVID program and school reform, identifying policy and structural factors
provided by administrative support for positive change, and transforming teacher
beliefs and perceptions of minority student achievement. The first section, entitled,
“Research on AVID” examined the AVID program in regards to: student
achievement, social support systems in place, and school accountability. Based on
the studies, it is possible that AVID has contributed in restructuring and reculturing
low performing urban schools with high concentrations of minority students. The
second section, “Research on School Culture” further discussed the significance of
school leadership and effective professional development, which is critical to the
institutionalization of the AVID program and reform. Without proper training and a
supportive leadership, the AVID program and reform would be unsuccessful.
Finally, the third section, “Research on Teacher Beliefs and Perceptions” explored
the importance of teacher attitudes and attributions of minority student achievement.

43
The research suggests that teachers’ beliefs can either have a positive or negative
effect on student success.
Questions to be Answered
More questions need to be answered in order to fully understand how AVID
transforms a low performing school into a college going culture. The following
questions are: What specific indicators for policy and structural changes need to be
in place? How much and what type of support is needed from the administration?
How will school districts provide professional development to ensure that AVID
methodologies will be implemented effectively by classroom teachers? Will these
activities change teacher perceptions on minority student achievement? How will
AVID techniques and structures be used in different content areas? Who will
determine which strategies to implement school wide and how often? This case
study will examine some of these prevailing, unanswered questions and contribute to
existing body of literature in this area.
Purpose of the Study
The overall focus of the study will be on how a high school with a large
concentration of minority students in a high poverty community utilizes the AVID
program to create access to college. Specifically, the qualitative case study will
investigate factors that contribute to (or inhibit) the success of the AVID program in
shaping a college going culture. It will also illuminate and find evidence on
reculturing and restructruring high schools within AVID certified schools, since
there is a lack of research in this area.

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CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Introduction
A case study is an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon
(the AVID program) within its real life-contexts (schools), especially when the
boundaries between the phenomenon and context (school culture) are not clearly
evident (Yin, 1994, p. 13).
This chapter will focus on the methodological design, sample,
instrumentation, data collection, and data analysis process of the proposed study. As
stated in Chapter One, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand
how the implementation of the AVID program impacted the school culture at a low
performing, high poverty urban high school. It identified and investigated the factors
contributing to the overall success of the AVID program in shaping a college going
culture at one large urban high school in the Mountain Spring Unified School
District
Study Design
This study utilized a qualitative research design, focused on four
administrators, three AVID elective teachers (including the coordinator), and five
content area teachers at one high school. In addition, two student focus groups were
used to triangulate the data. The first focus group consisted of five students while
the second was composed of three students. The qualitative research design
examined in detail how the AVID program impacted school wide culture,
particularly in regards to addressing structural and policy changes, leadership, and

45
teacher perceptions. The qualitative approach was selected for this particular study
since it used inquiry to understand the meaning of a social phenomenon with
minimal disruption to the natural setting (Merriam, 1998). It enabled the researcher
an in-depth understanding of how the AVID program, as a comprehensive school
reform model, seeks to transform the academic climate of a school. Furthermore,
“the case study approach to qualitative analysis constitutes a specific way of
collecting, organizing, and analyzing data; in that sense it represents an analysis
process” (Patton, 2002, p. 447). It also allowed the researcher to gain valuable
insights and a thorough understanding of the study. Thus, the main purpose of the
case study was to gather detailed information using a systematic approach to
understand the process of analysis or end product. Finally, the case study
illuminated the factors in regards to implementing reform within an AVID certified
school from an insider’s (i.e. administrators, students, and teachers) perspective.
Their perceptions and attitudes towards the AVID program and the increased access
of minority students were analyzed.
Sample and Population
Since the primary purpose of this qualitative case study was to better
understand the process of transforming school culture within the AVID program,
non-probabilistic purposeful sampling strategies (Merriam, 1998) was chosen. Non-
probabilistic sampling was used to discover “the implications of what occurs and
relationships that link occurrences” (Honigmann, 1982, p. 84). This type of

46
sampling enabled researchers to discover and understand a particular phenomenon in
a context where much can be learned.
The current study concentrated on Garden View High School (GVHS), since
they have been recognized as an AVID National Demonstration School, the highest
distinction within the program. Receiving the distinction means that GVHS
achieved the highest standards for AVID implementation and expansion. As an
AVID model, it fulfilled the “11 essentials” and represented the AVID system to
other schools, districts, elected officials, and the community (Advancement via
Individual Determination, n.d.). For the past seven years, the high school has fully
implemented AVID strategies successfully within their elective courses.
Garden View High School’s AVID Program
In 2000, the AVID program began with only one ninth grade having AVID
elective classes and has expanded to nine sections, serving approximately 300
students (out of 3,300 students). The AVID site team also increased from six to
sixty-one current members in 2007. GVHS was recognized as an AVID school of
distinction based only on their quantitative data. Using the data gathered from the
Los Angeles County Office of Education (n.d.), GVHS AVID program was
nationally distinguished as a result of the following:
• 100 percent of their seniors took the ACT or SAT I.
• 100 percent have been in AVID three or more years.
• 100 percent of their seniors are taking at least one AP course and its exam.

47
• AVID students typically make up about 35% of any content area class and
most content teachers now use AVID methodologies with all of their
students.
• AVID students have also taken a leadership role on campus by making “A-
G” college presentations to all 9th grade classes and 8
th
grade summer bridge
AVID students.
• The AVID program also had an impact in increasing the number of AP
courses offered at GVHS. Initially, seven years ago, there were only four AP
class offerings and presently there are fifteen AP courses with approximately
twenty-one sections.
• Content teachers meet monthly to discuss AVID issues and implementation
of AVID methodologies including student support.
• AVID tutors are also an integral part of their AVID Program. All tutors have
been trained and provide additional tutoring opportunities for all students
during lunch and after school.
• The AVID Coordinator and core AVID Site Team work closely with the
administration to ensure the spread and use of AVID methodologies school-
wide.
• Finally, AVID at GVHS is a collaborative effort based on offering students a
challenging route to college with success.
GVHS is a large, urban high school with a high concentration of minority
students. According to recent data provided by the School Accountability Report

48
Card (SARC) for 2006, 3,365 students are enrolled in grades 9-12 at the high school.
The student demographics are as follows: 97.7 percent Hispanic, 1.6 percent
Caucasian, 0.3 African-American, 0.3 percent Asian, and 0.1 percent Filipino. Of
the total students enrolled at Garden View High School 64.8 percent are receiving
free or reduced meals. Based on the 2005-06 school year, the Garden View High
School statewide Academic Performance Index (API) was 577 and was ranked a two
while other schools sharing similar demographics ranked a five on a scale of one
(lowest) to ten (highest). Eighty-five percent of the students graduated from high
school and 34 percent of the students have completed the “A-G” requirements for
admission to the University of California or California State University. At GVHS,
the college going rate percentages were as follows: 1.64 percent attend a UC, 8.18
percent attend a CSU, and 32.9 percent attend a community college.
Having access to a list of AVID National Demonstration Schools from the
LACOE facilitated the process for site selection. Focusing the study solely on low
performing and high poverty schools, I then studied the student demographics
carefully based on the SARC of the high schools that received the distinction. In
order to gain access to the site, I contacted the LACOE AVID Region 11 to ask them
for the Garden View High School’s principal or AVID coordinator’s email and
phone number. Next, I asked the Mountain Spring Unified School District’s
Superintendent for permission for teachers, students, and administrators to
participate in the study. After I was granted permission, I immediately contacted the
district liaison and director of the AVID program to set up an interview at the district

49
office. I also contacted the AVID coordinator and site administrators to give them an
overview of the purposed study and alleviated any concerns they may have. Finally,
I contacted the AVID elective teachers, content area teachers, and administrators by
person until I received a commitment from them to participate in the study.
Within Garden View High School, the sample of interviewees consisted of
site and district administrators, content area teachers, and AVID elective teachers.
The first sub-sample consisted of three AVID elective teachers. This accounts for 60
percent of the AVID elective teachers at GVHS. The second sub-sample consisted
of two site and two district administrators; there are five site and four district
administrators. The researcher chose to select four administrators from both the
school district and site. This constituted a participation rate from the administrative
team of approximately 40 to 50 percent. The final sub-sample included five content
area, non-AVID elective teachers at the high school. The five content area teachers
represented each of the academic departments within the high school: English, math,
foreign language, science, and social studies; there are 118 teachers at GVHS. These
participants were non-AVID elective teachers who are not affiliated with the site
team. The sample attempted to understand the context of the study and phenomenon
of the program in relation to school culture explored at GVHS.
Each AVID elective teacher was selected based on the number of years
involved in the program. It was crucial to select AVID elective teachers who
understand the strategies and methodologies of the program. Ideally, it was expected
that these teachers had witnessed firsthand how the program expanded and

50
improved. Their active participation and experience in AVID provided specific
information for the purposed study. The criterion for selecting the district and site
administrators for the study was based on their affiliation with the AVID program.
For instance, the site or district administrator who oversees the AVID program was
selected to participate in the sample. Lastly, the remaining group of content area
teachers was selected based on their availability during their prep periods and
represented each of the core disciplines, as specified above. These teachers were not
affiliated directly with the AVID program.
Instrumentation and Data Collection Procedures
As noted above, data for this case study were collected primarily through
teacher and administrator interviews. Student focus groups were also used in order
to gain their perspective on the AVID program. Observations of AVID classes and
the school as a whole were used as a secondary, more limited source of collecting
data.
Data was gathered using semi-structured individual interviews with AVID
elective teachers, content area teachers, and administrators. A total of 12 individual
interviews were conducted at GVHS. For specific information on administrators and
teachers interviewed, please refer to Table 1 and 2. These interviews were
completed during the fall semester of the 2007-08 school year. The duration of each
individual interview was approximately 45-60 minutes and was conducted at GVHS
in a time frame convenient to the interviewer and interviewee. Interviewing
individuals directly (or in directly) involved with the implementation of the AVID

51
program gave multiple perspectives on how it affected the academic culture of the
school. Using multiple sources allowed the researcher to synthesize the data while
looking for emergent themes that will lead to triangulation (Patton, 2002). The semi-
structured interview approach was selected because it is used widely in educational
research to understand and explore the open-ended research questions posed in the
current study.
Table 1: Garden View High School: Demographics of Teachers
Name Ethnicity Subject Area Affiliation
with AVID
Number of
Years
Teaching
Teacher A:
Mary Smith
Caucasian Science Coordinator 18 years
Teacher B:
George
Talavera
Hispanic Science AVID Elective
Teacher
6 years
Teacher C:
Kimberly
Klein
Caucasian English Content Area 38 years
Teacher D:
Ronald
Billings
Caucasian Science Content Area 14 years
Teacher E:
Joyce Martin
Hispanic Non-
Departmental
AVID Elective
Teacher
11 years
Teacher F:
James Lopez
Hispanic History Content Area 11 years
Teacher G:
Jeffrey
DeMarcos
Hispanic Foreign
Language
Content Area 19 years
Teacher H:
Ken Foster

Caucasian Math Content Area 31 years

52
Table 2: Mountain Spring Unified School District: Garden View High School
Demographics of Administrators
Name Ethnicity Position Responsibilities Number of
Years in
Education
Site
Administrator
A: Mary Sue
Green
Caucasian Associate
Principal
Master
Scheduling and
Counseling
15 years
Site
Administrator
B: Vince
Corrolla
Hispanic Principal Discipline,
Counseling,
Special
Education, and
Testing
27 years
District
Administrator:
A: Diana Diaz
Hispanic Director of
English
Learner and
GATE
Program
Title I Funding
and
Special
Programs
31 years
District
Administrator:
B: Sarah Kent
Caucasian Project
Director
Liaison for
AVID and
GATE program
28 years

First, I asked the three AVID elective teachers questions using the interview
protocol, titled “Teacher Perceptions Interview Questions” (Interview protocol in
Appendix A). The same interview questions were asked of second subset of
participants, who are not directly affiliated with the AVID site team or
implementation of the program. A slightly different interview protocol titled
“District and Site Administration Support Interview Questions” was used for site and
district administrators since the present study examined administrative support for
the AVID program, rather than their perceptions (Interview protocol in Appendix B).
All individual interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim in order to
analyze the data. Merriam (1998, p. 88) explains, “…verbatim transcription of

53
recorded interviews provides the best database for analysis.” Finally, two student
focus groups were used to triangulate the data. The first sub-group consisted of five
student participants and the second sub-group was composed of three students. All
students who participated in the focus groups were in the AVID program. Students
were asked the four focus questions in a group setting using the focus group
interview protocol, titled “Student Focus Group Questions” (Interview protocol in
Appendix C).
Observations served as a secondary source of data. The school observation
collected data based on: the physical setting, social environment, and activities at
GVHS (Observation protocol in Appendix C). I used one school day to observe
classrooms and the site during the fall semester of the 2007-08 school year before
interviewing the participants. Another document, the “AVID 11 Essentials” was
used to guide the observation protocol. This document is used as part of the AVID
school certification process. The protocol examines the school as a whole through
observations of both the content area classes and AVID elective classes. It expected
that all teachers utilize some AVID methodologies because of the school’s AVID
certification status.
Data Analysis Procedures
In order to analyze the data, I first transcribed the interviews, resulting in
approximately 130 pages of transcribed interview data. Next, I coded the
transcriptions thoroughly to look for patterns or concepts that reoccur in order to
decipher the data. I used the research questions to guide my search for patterns and

54
develop a coding system accordingly to analyze the meaning of the data, developing
sub-codes to fit under each research question. Other codes were developed as I read
the transcripts and began to code the data. A list of codes is included in Appendix D.
Hyperresearch, which is a computer software for qualitative data analysis, was used
to code, chunk, and organize the data in the transcripts of the 12 interviews. Lastly,
the observations and the narratives allowed me to understand the phenomenon and
findings for the case study. Analyzing the observations through utilizing the same
codes also enabled me to understand how AVID fits into the academic culture of the
school. I attempted to generate meaning from the data collected, linked the findings
to my research questions, and posed additional questions that may be used for future
studies.
Validating the Findings
According to Merriam (1998), internal validity is used to determine how the
findings from the research match reality, while external validity deals with how
generalizable the results of the study are. Therefore, it was important to examine the
accuracy of the findings in the case study by triangulating the data. To triangulate
data, I used the data gathered in the observations and semi-structured interviews
from different administrators and classroom teachers plus the student focus groups.
Thus, I was able to use multiple sources of data to look for patterns and themes.
Ethical Considerations
I followed the rules, regulations, and procedures set forth by the Institutional
Review Board (IRB) to the fullest extent in order to obtain the highest ethical

55
standards. Moreover, before interviewing the participants, I asked them to review
and sign a consent form. The consent form informed all participants about the
purpose and rationale of the case study. The individuals were aware that their
participation was strictly voluntary. Finally, the consent form also informed the
participants of any dangers or obligations in the case study.
Limitations of the Study
I am currently an economics and AVID elective teacher in the Centinela
Valley Union High School District. I have also been an active member of the AVID
site team, presented methodologies during professional development workshops, and
attended training sessions on the program’s curriculum. These are some biases that
must be taken into consideration. I am in favor of implementing the AVID
methodologies and strategies school wide and believe that the program does affect
the academic climate of schools. As a result, I was extremely cautious about my
biases and did not let them interfere with the current case study at any time. This
was especially crucial during site observations and while conducting interviews to
determine the findings. It was not my intention to manipulate the case study in any
form that may interfere with the findings and/or mislead the reader.

56
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS
Introduction
Since the 1983 publication of A Nation at Risk, many Americans have
become more concerned about reforming public schools to ensure that all students
have equal opportunity and access to higher education. Stringent accountability
mandates such as No Child Left Behind have attempted to “level the playing field”
and increase access to college for minority students. As a result of these changes,
individual schools and districts have chosen to implement specific college
preparatory programs, such as AVID, to fulfill these goals. Under the AVID
program, teachers and schools are held accountable to providing academic rigor and
social support to students who have a desire to attend a four year university.
Currently, the program has been established in over 3,500 elementary and secondary
schools in 45 states and 15 countries, serving approximately 300,000 students
(Advancement via Individual Determination, n.d.). While the research documents
both the expansion and the success of students enrolled in the program, it is still
unclear whether AVID contributes specifically towards changing the academic
culture of a school. Thus, the present case study examines in detail how a large
urban high school in Mountain Spring uses the AVID program as a mechanism to
create school wide change and access to college for underserved populations. This
is a particularly interesting case to examine, as superintendent in Mountain Spring
implemented AVID in the district’s high schools specifically to promote a college
going culture.

57
In September 2002, Garden View High School in Mountain Spring was
awarded as a “National Demonstration School” within the AVID program. After
only four years of implementing the program, GVHS fulfilled and exceeded the
routine use of the “11 Essentials” required for certification. According to the Los
Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), a nationally distinguished AVID site
not only models what an ideal program should entail but provides opportunities for
educators to: observe best practices, participate in professional development
activities, and collaborate with one another at their site.
Chapter Four focuses on an analysis and interpretation of the data collected in
this qualitative case study on identifying specific factors that have contributed
towards shaping the college going culture of a low performing high school, under the
AVID program. The purpose of the study is to provide further information on how
AVID impacts school culture in reference to: structural and policy changes,
leadership roles from the site and district administration, and teacher beliefs on
minority students. The data obtained in this study is based on the perceptions of
teachers, students, and administrators at Garden View High School in the Mountain
Spring Unified School District.
Research Questions and Overarching Themes
This chapter is organized sequentially to address the overarching themes that
correspond to the fundamental research questions of the case study. After gathering
the appropriate background research, coding, and conducting teacher and
administrator interviews and student focus groups, the following themes are

58
presented under each research question. Data will be analyzed within each sub-
question and major themes will be highlighted under these categories. The chapter
will conclude with a culminating summary of the main findings that illuminates
specific factors that contribute to the success of the AVID program at GVHS and
how it has either positively (or negatively) impacted the culture of the school.
Research Question:
How does the AVID program contribute to changing the culture of the
school?
Sub-questions and Themes
a. What policy and structural changes have been made school wide to
support the overall mission of college going?
Structural Changes
1. Professional Development and Collaboration
2. Master Scheduling and Advanced Placement Courses
Policy Changes
3. Cross-Curricular Integration of AVID Strategies and College
Preparatory Curriculum
4. District Mandated A-G Requirements
b. How do site and district administrators contribute to the implementation
of AVID practices school wide?
1. District Leadership: Resources and Collaboration
2. Site Leadership: Communication and Classroom Observations

59
3. Teacher Leaders: The AVID Coordinator and Parent Involvement
c. How has the AVID program changed teacher beliefs about minority
students attending four year universities?
1. Teacher’s Perceptions on the AVID program
2. Changes in Teaching Methodology and Beliefs
School wide Structural Changes Supporting a College Going Culture
The success of the AVID program at Garden View High School can be
attributed in part to the structural changes in place that support the college going
mission. After an in-depth analysis of the data collected, it was evident that two
prevailing themes emerged. First, professional development and training remains a
priority to transforming the academic culture of the school. More specifically, the
study will address subsections of three different types of professional development
that exist at the high school. These subsections include:
a. Professional development and training provided by AVID Summer Institutes
or Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE).
b. Professional development and collaboration provided by the AVID Site Team
(i.e. teacher leaders) to train new staff members at Garden View High School.
c. Professional development and training implemented by teacher leaders and
administrators to train new AVID elective and content area teachers at
different schools throughout Los Angeles County.
Within each subsection, teacher and administrator beliefs, attitudes, or roles
within the AVID program at GVHS will be highlighted. At the end of the three

60
subsections, structural barriers and challenges will be addressed through the different
lens of teacher leaders, site administrators, and district administrators.
Second, I will explain how the AVID program at Garden View High School
has impacted the master schedule. Because of the large student population, it is
necessary for the AVID site team to work collaboratively with administrators to
address the structural issues and produce a “spill over” effect to positively impact the
academic culture of school. In other words, the AVID program seeks to influence
the college going culture for the entire school, not only the students enrolled in the
program. It is also important to note that GVHS has two full-time college and career
counselors that actively meet and assist AVID students with their schedules. Finally,
the increase in the number of AVID students has directly impacted the Advanced
Placement program. Since the inception of the AVID program, there are more AVID
students enrolled in AP classes. The subsequent section will address the structural
changes indicated above.
Professional development and training provided by AVID Summer Institutes or
LACOE
Based on the interviews, both teachers and administrators unanimously
agreed that effective school wide collaboration and professional development is
imperative in order to increase the number of students eligible and accepted to a four
year university. The professional development activities allow educators to interact
and collaborate both within and across their content areas. Because there is a large
number of instructional learners at GVHS (as opposed to independent learners), it is

61
necessary for teachers to be trained on instructional strategies that actively engage all
students. Instructional learners require scaffolding and engaging teaching strategies
in order to understand the content being delivered by the instructor. In contrast,
independent learners are individuals who will understand abstract concepts and
theories without the instructor (i.e. the student who is already equipped with test
taking skills and strategies). Since the AVID program’s curriculum emphasizes
student centered learning, both district and site administrators have taken the
initiative to send new teachers to three day workshops at LACOE. Interestingly, all
administrators and teachers interviewed in the case study have attended either an
AVID Summer Institute or LACOE AVID Workshop.
Moreover, content area teachers have been trained on specific strategies that
can be easily adapted across their content areas. These strategies consist of: Cornell
Notes, Learning Logs, Socratic Seminars, Group Work, and Collaborative Work.
The AVID trainers focus on the WICR (Writing, Inquiry, Reading, and
Collaboration) methodologies to facilitate the learning process for all students. A
veteran Social Science teacher recalls:
The AVID professional development and training have drastically changed
my teaching strategies drastically in my class. It’s given me more training,
more knowledge, more techniques, and strategies that work and do not work
with the kids. So I get to use a lot of things and see what they like and don’t
like. There are so many strategies that you can try and use that it’s
worthwhile to get trained and come back and try to see what works in your
class. It enhances the curriculum. It also creates a proactive environment
with the students. They are more engaged and more involved in the class with
the teacher and it’s all pretty much student centered, which is great. It should
be student-centered.

62
An Advanced Placement (AP) Instructor shared that the AVID training has
shaped his teaching strategies and contributed to student success towards preparing
the individual both academically and socially for college. The teacher also has
attended the AVID Summer Institute in San Diego three times and served as a liaison
for the GVHS AVID program. He is reflecting on how he should apply the practical
strategies to scaffold the learning process for his instructional learners. In addition,
the instructor also realizes that student engagement and collaboration is essential to
learning in his classroom.
While content area teachers engage in hands-on strategies that can be adapted
to any subject matter, the AVID elective teachers undergo intensive training at a
week long AVID Summer Institute in San Diego, California. Each grade level has a
specific curriculum that corresponds to a theme. For instance, ninth grade AVID
elective teachers are trained on implementation of basic AVID strategies such as
Cornell Notes, writing skills, binder checks, learning logs, AVID tutorials, and
Socratic seminars. AVID students also learn about career exploration and their
personal strengths, aptitudes, and researching possible career choices. In the tenth
grade, the AVID Center suggests that elective teachers emphasize both research and
test taking skills. Students will sharpen their research and study skills by exploring
different colleges (i.e. public vs. private and community college vs. four year).
Finally, teachers who teach the eleventh and twelfth grade AVID elective strand are
encouraged to push their students towards enrolling in rigorous AP courses, taking

63
SAT/ACT standardized exams, exploring financial aid options, and completing the
college application process. One new AVID elective teacher at GVHS states:
I think if you are an AVID elective teacher, you have to go to Summer
Institute. The LACOE meetings are wonderful and great but the AVID
Summer Institute actually gives you an opportunity to talk with other teachers
around the country, who are more knowledgeable or more experienced. The
presenters are really, really good and one of them put together the writing
curriculum for the program.

The novice AVID elective teacher suggests that it is critical for elective teachers to
attend the week long professional development institute. Like the content area
teacher, he highlights the significance of collaboration and interacting with other
teachers from different parts of the country to improve his own teaching practices.
It is evident that both the content area and AVID elective teacher have
benefited from attending the AVID Center sponsored professional development.
However, it is also important to take into consideration an administrator’s
perceptions on professional development.
From a site administrator’s view, he explains:
I think the training gives you an opportunity to speak informally with AVID
teachers; gives you time to plan and help the AVID program grow and
implement things that they would like to take on as challenges. Overall, I
think it improves your relationships between the AVID teachers and
administrators, knowing that we’re working together for the betterment of the
program and our students.

It is important to note that this particular administrator values building relationship
with his colleagues and finds that the AVID program’s training helps improve the
teacher administrator relationship and communication. In addition, the site
administrator still acknowledges that there are some challenges in regards to the

64
AVID program that they need to overcome, even though GVHS is classified as an
AVID demonstration school.
One district administrator explains:
I have attended AVID sponsored seminars focused on the elementary
schools. Both my director and I attended the AVID elementary strand for
administrators, which helped me answer some questions that my teachers had
and did not understand. For example, they would ask: When are we going to
get the curriculum for reading and lower math from the AVID Center? You
know, it’s like, no, no, no, that’s what AVID is. AVID is strategies that you
are going to invent within the Mountain Spring curriculum. These are special
things you get from the sites because they are not making that connection.
The elementary curriculum is focused on Cornell Notes and binder
organization. Our elementary schools are telling the students that they are all
AVID students. They are using the AVID strategies but they are not to tell
the kids that they are AVID students. If they do, the kids are going to assume
that they are going to be in the program and not necessarily all those children
meet the criteria to be in AVID. I just learned about this and I have to make
that clarification. I am also looking into meeting with teacher leaders and
AVID elementary. My goal is to meet twice a month so we can have these
discussions on the sort of things we should do to support the program.

In an attempt to “AVID-ize” the entire school district, the district administrators
believe that is it is crucial to expand the program to both the intermediate and
elementary schools. All of the intermediate schools within the Mountain Spring
Unified School District are currently using the AVID program and feed students into
Garden View High School. After demonstrating success with the AVID program at
GVHS, the district administrators became very intrigued with the new concept of
having elementary schools implement the AVID program. She also mentioned that
the district will be one of the first in the country to pilot the new AVID elementary
program. However, when the administrator tried to explain the concept of AVID to
a beginning elementary school teacher, she was confused about the curriculum and

65
philosophy of the program. If the administrator had not received in-depth
professional training from the AVID, she would not be able to clarify the purpose of
the program to the elementary school teacher. Thus, on-going professional
development from the site and district level is essential in order to improve the
program itself and train more teachers so that students can have access to AVID
strategies and methodologies of AVID.
Professional development and collaboration provided by the AVID Site Team (i.e.
teacher leaders) to train new staff members at Garden View High School
Aside from attending AVID Center sponsored workshops, the teachers at
GVHS engage in on-going professional development activities using AVID
strategies during staff in-service and collaboration days. In general, the faculty
members at GVHS find the time provided to discuss and refine their teaching skills
valuable. Eight out of the nine teachers interviewed have stated that the amount of
time given to collaborate within their departments is valuable to integrate AVID
strategies in their content area. Training sessions are typically scheduled after school
and during collaboration days for both new and veteran teachers to intertwine their
content area expertise with effective strategies from the program. This is also an
opportunity for new teachers to become acclimated with the AVID mission and
philosophy.
One district administrator indicates: “Every new teacher comes out of the
district office-fully aware of what AVID is and it’s purpose”.

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The AVID coordinator further specifies:

We bank minutes. Every Wednesday morning, we have a different “standing
committee meeting.” So, once a month on Wednesdays, I meet with the
AVID content teachers and answer any questions or discuss strategies.
Hypothetically, there is a group of new teachers anywhere from 10 to 12 of
them. We have a situation where a kid might end up in a classroom with a
non-AVID trained teacher. How are we going to manage that? Before that
teacher has the AVID kids, they are automatically included in the AVID
content teacher meeting. My meetings are divided into three chunks. One
chunk is always focused for staff development. Another chunk will be on the
difference between homework and studying. The last chunk may be on the
difference between an AVID tutorial and a normal tutorial. Even if they are
AVID elective or content teachers, they don’t always get that.

A foreign language teacher recalls:

AVID has regular meetings where techniques and areas of emphasis are
brought up and any teacher involved in the AVID program is made aware of
the issues. I think the meetings are very, very effective.

After interviewing the staff members, it is evident that there is a level of
collaboration that exists horizontally and vertically within the school. The AVID site
team functions as a cluster to troubleshoot and support both one another and teachers
who seek help with the techniques and strategies feel comfortable asking questions.
This allows deep conversations to take place in a small, intimate setting among
teachers in the same and different content area. It is critical to note that the AVID
meetings are led by teacher leaders (i.e. AVID elective teachers) and the coordinator
of the program. The roles of these individuals will be discussed in detail in the latter
part of this chapter.

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Another site administrator states that she uses professional development by
the AVID site team to help those teachers who do not utilize the program’s
techniques. She comments:
We do not punish teachers for not using AVID strategies. We actually do
more coaching and work with them. We identify teachers that need more
professional development, more one on one. We do more like what we call
“data collecting” and have them go observe other teachers who are using the
strategies effectively. We want the teacher to feel comfortable with using the
strategies. And once you see everyone else doing it, it’s kind of like, here you
go. One of our Social Studies teacher, who is a year away from retirement
was telling me, “Man, I was so exhausted teaching Cornell Notes all day
today. I saw so and so do it and I asked him how to do it and I tried it today.”
I firmly believe that if the strategies are passed on, no negative consequences
are needed.

Her perspective towards training and re-training new or veteran teachers is quite
unique.
The administrator chooses not the write poor evaluations of teachers who do
not follow the AVID curriculum, but rather use teacher leaders to assist them.
Consequently, teachers also may feel more comfortable in asking their colleagues for
help, since it is a non-threatening situation. In the long run, this approach can be
more beneficial to the students at the Garden View High School. Once the teacher
becomes familiar with the use of Cornell Notes, for instance, it is expected that he or
she will continue to use them routinely. This shows that the AVID program has
made an impact on changing the academic of the culture of school positively by
allowing teachers to collaborate and use effective instructional strategies.

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Professional development and training provided by GVHS to different schools
Because the AVID program at GVHS is classified as a national
demonstration school, the site leadership team has also hosted various workshops to
prepare administrators, content area and elective teachers, and college tutors to
troubleshoot and to successfully implement the program. The AVID program at
GVHS is used as a model to illustrate best practices. Typically, teacher leaders are
responsible for training individual teachers with the help of the Los Angeles County
Office of Education.
To better understand the AVID site team’s role, a science teacher notes:
The members of the AVID site team are the cheerleaders for the program.
They are the ones with their ear to the ground. They are the ones who
influence our policymakers if you want to use that term at the district. Again,
we are in a position at Garden View High School where we can influence
change. I think we are only one of 2 or 3 demonstration schools like us in the
county. We are able to inform rather than ask permission from the AVID
Center and let others know how things are supposed to happen. We get to act
in a consulting role to help those folks. We have led a lot of the first year
elective teachers and have directed them to see what the program is going to
provide to them and their district. We also have a responsibility to
understand that there are weaknesses and problems that we must overcome.

The fact that GVHS is designated as a national demonstration school allows them to
mentor other schools that are beginning to implement the AVID program. Although
the responsibility is tremendous, the AVID site team at GVHS can provide a solid
foundation in training and assisting other schools. The successes and failures of the
AVID program can be shared and resolved. Without professional development from

69
demonstration schools, many AVID programs in Los Angeles County would not be
able to observe best practices.
Master Scheduling and Advanced Placement Courses
Another structural issue that needs to be addressed is the school’s master
schedule. In order to change the academic culture of the school, it is critical to create
a master schedule that allows students to gain access to college preparatory and AP
courses. To accomplish this goal, the site administrators at GVHS have used the
AVID program as a vehicle to increase the number of students eligible to attend a
four year university by using the techniques and emphasizing the completion of the
A-G courses. Although open access to these rigorous classes is important, it is even
more imperative for the school to provide the necessary support and ensure that all
students are receiving AVID strategies. Before implementing the AVID program, a
previous associate principal at GVHS created a system to ensure this. This policy is
described by the current AVID Coordinator:
After the fourth year of implementing the AVID program, we became a
National Demonstration School. Our associate principal at the time really
understood how it was supposed to be working. She understood what AVID
was supposed to be. It was supposed to be a cancer, in a good way. This
cancer starts taking off and then starts to spread until it permeates the whole
school culture and policy distribution.
She also set up a system that caused that to happen. The very system she set
up was-if we are going to have an AVID content class, you can’t have more
than 10 kids in there. This meant that in a class of 40, 60 percent of the kids
were getting AVID strategies but were not AVID kids. All of a sudden this
goodness was being shared with other students instead of an exclusive group.
Again, you are not deciding who should and who should not because you are
taking the good and sharing it with the larger group. Suddenly, the AVID
kids were getting the strategies and so were the non-AVID kids. They
understood that they needed the A-G courses to go to college.

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The widespread effect of the AVID strategies and program’s philosophy can be
achieved through having the students transmit the information to their peers and
content area teachers in a classroom setting. More importantly, the AVID techniques
are not limited to only one specific group of students. Thus, every student can access
the methodologies and the AVID program pushes all students to take the required A-
G courses.
To abide by the program’s mission, AVID students are encouraged to
challenge themselves by taking rigorous courses to prepare them for college. An
associate principal adds:
For this academic year, we’ve got more teachers believing that it is important
for all of our students to be prepared to go to college. When I first started 13
years ago, teachers believed that college was not for everyone. Obviously,
this statement is not true. AVID was responsible in part for making a
distinction that college is for everyone and they should be prepared for it.
However, whether the students make the choice to go and get the support, it’s
absolutely on them.

In terms of our academic culture, I could tell you this year we have 890
students enrolled in AP classes. We have 522 test takers. With total student
enrollment of about 3200 total, we need to exclude 900 students who are 9
th

graders because they would not be eligible to take any AP classes. There are
about 200 kids enrolled in upper level math analysis and above and we have
almost 500 enrolled in Algebra II and over 800 in Geometry. Our math
department has certainly grown. The body count alone is evidence for
expanding the number of AP sections and evidence for students taking more
courses that satisfy the A-G requirements.

A former AVID elective teacher indicates:

I think the AVID program has had a big impact on the AP classes because
there used to be very few of them. Now, we have a lot more and I think it has
a lot to do with the fact that the AVID students are encouraged to take AP
classes. Also, we are trying to make AP classes more open to everyone.

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AVID students usually constitute 1/3 to 2/3 of the students enrolled in AP
classes.

The increase in the number of students choosing to take a higher level math course or
AP class is impacting the school’s master schedule, significantly. The associate
principal now has to take into consideration the number of students enrolled in each
section and ensure that there are enough staff members willing and able to teach an
AP course.
The bar graph below highlights the total number of students who have
successfully passed an AP exam with a 3 or higher. This graph does take into
account the aggregate totals within each academic year. For the 2006-07 school
year, 186 students at Garden View High School passed an AP exam with a score of 3
or higher.
FIGURE 1: NUMBER OF AP EXAMS
NUMBER OF AP EXAMS WITH SCORE OF 3+
60
48
93
123
130
127
159
169
116
147
158
186
0
50
100
150
200
95-96 96-97 97-98 98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07

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For the 2006-07 school year:
• 17 percent of the student population took at least one AP Exam.
• Approximately 15 percent of the students taking the exam passed with at
score of 4 or 5.
• Specifically, in AP Spanish Language 71 percent of the students scored a
3 or higher while 57 percent scored 3 or higher in AP Spanish Literature.
• 55 percent of students passed the AP exam in Psychology with a 3 or
higher.
• In AP Calculus AB/BC, 41 percent of the students who took the exam
scored a 3 or higher.
The table below (following page) indicates the number of AP exam test
takers from the 2006-07 to the 2007-08 academic year. Overall, there has been an
increase in the number of students enrolled in the AP program (increase of 117
students) and number of tests taken (increase of 203 students) from the previous
year. More students at Garden View High School are enrolling in rigorous AP
courses to earn college credit and become more competitive for admission to a four
year university.

73
Table 3: Number of AP Exam Test Takers 2007-2008
# of Students 2007 # of Students 2008
Students Taking 1 Exam 231 282
Students Taking 2 Exams 89 145
Students Taking 3 Exams 61 61
Students Taking 4 Exams 19 28
Students Taking 5 Exams 7 8
Students Taking 6 Exams 1 1
TOTAL Test Takers:
408 525
Total Tests
708 911

The line graph below shows the number of students at Garden View High
School who have participated in the AP program and taken an exam from 1995-
2007. The number of test takers is relatively smaller than the number of exams
ordered because there could be individual students that have chosen to take multiple
exams.

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FIGURE 2: NUMBER OF AP TAKERS AND EXAMS

The numbers appear to be more than sufficient for the AVID Center Certification
process. Another teacher has a different perspective on the issue at hand. He
explains:
Suddenly, a teacher has a behavior problem in an AP class. He or she would
claim, I have not experienced this before. In the past, the student would be
forced to drop the course (i.e. summary dismissal). The teacher would
simply state, “Sorry, you are out.” But now, the AP teacher has to take into
account literacy strategies in AP classes. We measure all these things to
make sure students have access to it and College Board is quick to point out
that they can sit in the class with their open access policy and get one AP test.
The student has to commit to stick through the class the whole entire year.
When they take the California Standards Tests (CSTs), there is measurable
growth. It’s a tough one to swallow for a while, but you know, we have been
able to say that it’s benefited the student and the school.

All these students are enrolled in the AP classes and are taking the tests, but
if you know our pass rate, it is pretty disappointing and discouraging. In the
past, teachers who taught AP were not used to having AVID students. These
AVID students need help and have trouble writing sentences. It has
discouraged a lot of traditional teachers from teaching the AP course.

The experienced science teacher is alluding to traditional teachers who have
opted not to teach an AP course because they simply did not want to deal with either
classroom management issues or teaching students who lack literacy skills. Many of

75
these teachers reportedly believe that the AVID program is a waste of time and the
school did not need further reform. The traditional teachers refused to alter their
teaching pedagogies and practices. They also failed to believe that AVID students or
instructional learners can actually pass the AP exam and attend a four year university
after graduating from high school. Fortunately, the teachers who have this view are
no longer teaching the AP courses at GVHS. However, a handful of these teachers
do exist at the school, which may negatively impact the academic culture.
Summary of Structural Barriers and Challenges
In summary, all of the administrators and teachers interviewed believe that
attending professional development workshops would be beneficial for every
teacher. However, the lack of resources prevents many teachers from attending
either the AVID Summer Institute or LACOE workshops. These resources include:
funding, number of substitute teachers that are available, lack of teacher buy-in (or
participation) and time. The following participants examine the structural barriers in
relation to professional development.
One district administrator reflects:
For the Mountain Spring Unified School District, I would say that I wish I
had more money. Money has always been one of the big things. I wish I
could support them to attend, especially when you have new teachers on
board and want them to go to LACOE sponsored events. We simply do not
have enough substitutes or you cannot usually attend these meetings. I feel
bad that I can’t support. But I have nothing to do with these issues, since my
hands are always tied. It’s always been a struggle here. We have to find
other ways to support them and it can be really frustrating.

76
Another site administrator comments:

You have to try to balance pulling the teachers out of the classroom and
giving them the information that they need. You don’t want to pull them out
of the classroom too much because then they start to lose their influence and
ability of being in the classroom consistently. It’s a caution that you have to
take.

Similarly, a content area teacher explains:

We can’t send everyone to LACOE. Just speaking for the content teachers
and talking to the math department, those teachers may not be AVID trained
that year. They are pulled in and grab an AVID geometry search. They are
paced with one of the other teachers to make sure that they are using Cornell
Notes and getting their students to collaborate. These are some of the biggest
things.

Another content area teacher adds:

I go with the AVID site team to Lake Arrowhead Conference. All of the
elective teachers are pretty active in the site team. It’s getting the content
area teachers involve. That’s the hard part. But the elective teachers are the
main spine of the program.

Even though Garden View’s AVID program is a model for many low
performing urban high schools, they continue to experience obstacles in the context
of professional development. In reality, it is unlikely that 100 percent of the faculty
members at any given time will attend the formal training sessions. But this
continues to be a school-wide goal that both the administration and AVID site team
members continue to work on. Mainly, they have used teacher mentors and coaches
who are familiar with the AVID program’s techniques to train and work with the
novice teachers. From the district’s stand point, every new teacher is fully aware of
what AVID entails based on the New Teacher Summer Institute. There is evidence

77
of support for teachers who seek help in training and utilizing the AVID
methodologies.
In regards to the master schedule and AP enrollment, there are three
underlying structural issues which are evident. They are as follows:
• Students who do not belong in the AVID elective classes are placed in it,
while others who need it are not placed into the class.
• There are not enough counselors to accommodate for the large student
population. Therefore, counselors do not have the time to explain in detail
what students need to take in order to become eligible to a four year
university after graduating.
• Finally, increasing the number of AP course offerings does not necessarily
correlate with pass rates or high learning outcomes.
The associate principal states:
I think we haven’t created the structures or at least embedded them into our
organization. I don’t think we’re there yet-maybe only helping 70 to 80
percent of the kids. All the resources we have is a severe limitation. I think
we need more counselors. Our counselors can’t take the time to sit with the
kids and explain everything. I, personally, can do assemblies and small
groups. But the bigger impact is with smaller groups of 10 students that
makes a big difference. I think those are some of things that we need to
improve upon. We are going to be a QEIA school and we are going to get all
those counselors and that’s one of the things that I know they want us to work
on.

One teacher recalls:
The master schedule-our master schedule can look like a mess because there
are different rosters for students who are in my science class. I’ve got 4
rosters for my first and second period class. I’ve got my regular non-AVID,
non-RSP, non-English learner, non-SDAIE class. It’s keeping, following the

78
data being able to make informed decision that will benefit all students. So
that’s one big thing. If you’ve ever been through master scheduling, you
know that it is a nightmare on many different levels, how many kids, how
many students, are overstaffed, understaffed, you know, he always get first
period conference so you have to do that and it’s not really credential for this
school, we haven’t really done that. And you say, you know, we’re going to
complicate it further by adding all these sections and making sure that we can
make sure that AVID students are distributed that they’re taken care of, that
they’re following and all that and that’s, cause that makes data collection
better for us and we know the AVID program needs that data to see our
students are achieving.

It appears that both the AVID site team and administration are aware of these
structural challenges within the master schedule. For a new teacher, it can be
overwhelming for him or her to become accustomed to this type of master
scheduling and school culture. The data reveal that AVID program itself has a
significant impact on the master schedule and the number of AP students enrolled in
each class. The findings also imply that the AVID program has made a positive
impact in this direction.
School wide Policy Changes Supporting a College Going Culture
In addition to the various structural changes used to transform the academic
culture of the school at both the district and site level, it is important to discuss
policy changes and the implications under the AVID program at GVHS. After being
awarded as a national demonstration school, it was evident that school policy became
a factor for success in the AVID program at Garden View. In this particular context,
policy is defined as the school wide strategies and methodologies adopted and
implemented from the AVID program. In other words, how do teachers embed the

79
AVID techniques within their content area to achieve the school wide college going
mission? This sub-section will illuminate two inter-related policy changes mandated
by the district and site administration.
First, the use of cross-curricular integration of AVID strategies and college
preparatory curriculum will be analyzed in detail. This will include five key policies
that were implemented after the AVID program was established at Garden View
High School:
• It is expected that all teachers will utilize the following school wide
strategies: Cornell Notes, the inquiry process (i.e. Costa’s higher level
questions), and reading for information.
• All entering freshmen will be enrolled in a college preparatory science class
and all juniors will be enrolled in a science course.
• In order for students to advance to the next math level, it is no longer a
requirement to obtain a “C” or better. Students have the option to make up
the “D” or “F” earned during summer school.
• All students enrolled in a senior English course will be required to fill out a
college application and write a personal statement.
• In government and economics classes, seniors will be required to fill out the
Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA).
Secondly, the Superintendent and school board members have determined that
the Mountain Spring Unified School District will have mandated “A-G”
requirements. Their decision was influenced by the AVID program itself. AVID set

80
the precedence for having all AVID students enroll in the “A-G” required classes.
Any student that enrolls at a high school within the district will be required to take
the “A-G” University of California approved courses in order graduate. Therefore, it
is the district’s goal that every student will at least be eligible to attend a four year
university by 2013. After discussing the implications of these two policies in detail,
policy barriers and challenges will be analyzed based on the perceptions of both
teachers and administrators.
Cross-Curricular Integration of AVID Techniques School wide
For almost three decades, the AVID Center has collected both qualitative and
quantitative data to ensure that schools, teachers, and administrators use sound
methodologies that yield to student success and achievement. In terms of strategies,
the AVID program has focused on improving study skills in all content areas for
students to succeed in the A-G required courses. The AVID program is known most
infamously for the “WICR” process-that is, writing, inquiry, critical thinking, and
reading. Mary Catherine Swanson, the founder of the AVID program, believed that
literacy skills are imperative in every core subject area. After observing that her own
students lacked note taking skills, she decided to use Cornell Notes to structure the
learning process.
Presently, the program continues to emphasize the use of Cornell Notes at the
elementary, intermediate, and high school level as a tool to help facilitate the
learning process for all students. Cornell Notes teaches students to: record, question,
recite, reflect, review, and recapture the importance of a lesson. Students need to be

81
taught note taking skills so that they can become more equipped for higher level
classes and college. Thus, the AVID site team at Garden View High School decided
that Cornell Notes was the first strategy that is to be used school wide. According to
one AVID content area teacher, approximately 70 percent of teachers use Cornell
Notes on a regular basis. The following interviews highlight comments that pertain
to the use of Cornell Notes across they varying disciplines at GVHC:
An administrator at Garden View notes:
Cornell Notes, thinking maps, and student engagement are three strategies
that we used school wide. In particular, Cornell Notes, the inquiry process,
and reading for information are the structures that the AVID content and
elective teachers have really implemented well and we try to emulate in other
classrooms throughout the school.

Another teacher in Science Department indicates:

I think professional development has really defined how we’ve not just
individually, but how we work as a science department. We use a
composition book with: input, output, left side, right side, with skinny
Cornell columns. This tool has really helped us and the big driving force has
been just the expectation that these students can do this.

One AVID elective teacher explains:

Cornell Notes is the basic hallmark of the AVID program. It is the key to
everything the students can do because they can do it in their notebooks. It
enables them to get a broader understanding of whatever it is they’re
learning.

A history teacher comments:

As far as policy goes, the school is committed to certain techniques school
wide. We emphasize thinking maps, Cornell Note taking, and whether they
are AVID or non-AVID teachers, they are all supposed to be trained on that.

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Finally, a graduating senior enrolled in the AVID program adds:

The AVID teachers help us get organized and help us take Cornell Notes so
that we are actually prepared to enter college.

Clearly, the excerpts of the interviews of teachers, administrators, and AVID
students indicates that the school wide use of Cornell Notes is used widely and
frequently across the varying disciplines. Aside from using Cornell Notes and other
AVID strategies, the second and third policies implemented school wide focuses on
enrolling in a college preparatory science course and higher math course. Since
being categorized as a national demonstration school, the science department chair
and administration at GVHS made an executive decision to enroll all incoming
freshmen in an “Integrated Science” course. The integrated science course is a UC
approved elective that falls under the “G” category of required courses. In addition,
all juniors at GVHS will enroll in a science course. This has helped students stay on
track towards fulfilling the “A-G” mandated courses and provided a stronger
foundation so that students can transition easily to next science course.
Interestingly, the math department site administration, and AVID
Coordinator have worked together to allow students to advance to the next math
level in spite of the “D” or “F” they may have earned. This coincides with the
University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) policy, where a
higher level math course can validate a lower level one. For instance, if a student
earned a “D” both semesters after taking Algebra 1 during his freshman year in high
school and decides to enroll in Algebra 2 during his sophomore year and earns a “C”

83
or better both semesters, he is not required to go back and take Algebra 1. The
student may also opt to take the Algebra 1 course during summer before he enrolls in
Algebra 2, as well. However, the “Ds” he earned will not prevent him from moving
on to the next level of math, if he wishes to challenge himself and complete it. A
current site administrator explains:
The AVID Coordinator was responsible for establishing the “C” in math
policy. She started working with the counselors on having all juniors take
science, so that’s one of the policies that she started. The assistant principal
that was here before me introduced the policy in the math department. He
also was in charge of the AVID program. We had this policy that kids had to
get a “C” in order to move on to the next math level. He changed it so that
kids could move on if they wanted to and can make up the math courses
during the summer, so that really helped.

Aside from the policy changes in the math and science courses, changes were
also made with the seniors enrolled in English and history courses. At Garden View,
every senior is required to fill out a college application and write a personal
statement in their English class. This policy was established by the AVID
Coordinator, who believed that all students should have goals or an action plan after
graduation and they should also be able to fill out an application for a job. She also
decided that every student enrolled in the senior class will be required to fill out the
Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA) form in their government or economics
course. Students will have the option to receive grants, loans, or work study if they
decide to continue with their education.
The coordinator of the AVID program explains:

I asked myself, “why should AVID students be the only ones able to fill out a
college application or write a personal statement?” Then, I thought to myself,

84
“where could kids fill out applications and do personal statements and be
apart of standards-based curriculum?” It had to be done in their senior
English classes. All of our English classes have two major assignments. One
of the assignments is to do personal statements and the other assignment is to
fill out a college application. I don’t care what application it is, whether it’s a
junior college or four year university, the seniors have to turn it in and that’s
a 12
th
grade requirement. This is the same with FAFSA. Why are the AVID
kids the only ones that fill out FAFSA forms? Well, where does it make
sense in the curriculum? In government and economics-so the teachers in
these areas require the kids to fill out FAFSA forms, even if they are
undocumented. Every single senior fills out a FAFSA form. Now whether
we get every single senior to go online and complete it all the way, we
haven’t quite got there yet.

Both AVID site team members have stressed the importance of filling out the
FAFSA form and giving all students access and opportunities to pay for college. It is
critical that administrators hold students and teachers accountable in completing the
forms and following the college preparatory curriculum. The success of the AVID
site team at GVHS can also be documented in this situation by influencing and
changing school wide policy. This shows that the administration and AVID site
team are working positively together with the staff to increase awareness and the
number of students eligible to attend college.
District Mandated A-G Requirements
As Garden View High School moves towards becoming a college-going
school, it is imperative to give students full access to courses that fulfill the “A-G”
requirements. The decision to make the district “A-G” was recommended by
external consultants (who audited the district) and analyzed extensive data collected
at each of the high schools. The decision was unanimously approved by the current
Superintendent and school board members. This major policy will impact students

85
who are currently enrolled in the seventh grade within the intermediate schools in the
Mountain Spring Unified School District. However, parents will have the choice to
opt out of this policy. A science teacher acknowledged that the district policy
indeed support college going: “The support from the district going A-G is definitely
there. We want to make certain our students have the opportunity, or at least are
eligible for college when they exit high school knowing that many of them don’t take
that option after they graduate.” One AVID elective teacher remarks on how the
AVID program will play a role in this significant policy change:
Basically, the AVID program is kind of like an informational specialist.
Again, since our school is going to be transitioned to become all “A-G”
mandated classes, everything will be a requirement for graduation. We’re
kind of like this big informational resource group and our students are going
to be leaders of that. Right now, for example, in a class that may be does not
use AVID strategies or the teacher isn’t AVID trained and there is an AVID
student there, he or she would be the role model for Cornell Notes, teaching
agendas, and thinking maps.

By setting high expectations district wide, the administrators believe that
students can achieve and will at the very least-be eligible to attend a four year
university. Most teachers and administrators who were interviewed were aware of
this policy change. They hope to increase access to college preparatory curriculum
and the percentage of students attending a four year university. It is important to
note that traditionally, the Mountain Spring Unified School District has used a
decentralized decision making model. In this case, the decision to require all
students graduating from high school to enroll in “A-G” courses represents a top-
down decision making model. This will be discussed in further detail since it is

86
connected to how the district and site leadership operate to support the AVID
program. The next section will discuss obstacles that prevent these policies from
being implemented fully or successfully at Garden View High School.
Policy Barriers and Challenges: Cross-Curriculum Integration and A-G
Requirements

The vast changes that have been the result of AVID implementation at GVHS
have led to a variety of policy barriers and challenges. The following list
acknowledges the different challenges related to implementing a college preparatory
curriculum across various content areas. They are as follows:
• At Garden View High School, there are currently no consequences for opting
to not use AVID strategies. For instance, not every teacher teaches Cornell
Notes at GVHS.
• Not every freshman enrolled in the Integrated Science class is fully prepared
from intermediate school or can receive extra support (i.e. tutoring), if
needed. Since the bar is set high because it is a “G” elective, the percentage
of fails becomes an issue that needs to be resolved.
• In regards to math courses, a student that fails a prerequisite course such as
Algebra 1 may not have a strong foundation to advance to the next level.
This may cause them to be set up for failure and higher level math teachers
may be forced to re-teach concepts in Algebra 1 or a lower math class.

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• It is unclear whether there are any consequences for students (besides grade
deduction) who choose not to fill out a college application or FAFSA. The
school wide target is still 100 percent.
• All faculty members in the district need to be informed about the new “A-G”
required courses for all students beginning with the class of 2013. The
district and site administration needs to train teachers about what the “A-G”
courses are and how to integrate AVID strategies to accommodate for special
populations such as English language learners and special education students.
• Finally, there are currently no systems or policies in place to support the “A-
G” courses.
The six critical barriers still needs to be resolved before the GVHS fully implements
the “A-G” curriculum for the Class of 2013. Students will have the opportunity to be
eligible and the administrators are aware that many currently are not. In addition, the
use of cross-curricular college preparatory requirements (i.e. college application,
personal statement, and FAFSA) has led to positive outcomes. Realistically, not
every senior will complete these requirements in their classes. Currently, the AVID
site team and administration is working towards resolving these issues.
The Role of Leadership and the AVID Program
According to research conducted by High Schools That Work, a strong
leadership team involves the faculty in the change process and creates a culture of
high expectations for the students at the school (Southern Regional Education Board,
n.d.). Effective leadership teams make an effort to cultivate teacher leaders within

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the school. This section will focus primarily on the role of leaders and how they
contribute to the supporting a college going environment under the AVID program at
Garden View High School. More specifically, it will emphasize the roles of: district
administrators, site administrators, and teacher leaders. The first part will highlight
how the district administrative team seeks to provide financial resources and
collaboration time for the staff. The district’s main goal is to produce a spillover
effect in order to change the culture of the school. Next, an important aspect of the
success of the AVID program at GVHS is the direct support received by the site
leadership. This includes support from the principal and the associate principals,
who frequently conduct classroom observations and communicate regularly with
staff members to ensure that the program is adhering to the certification goals
mandated by the AVID Center and LACOE. Finally, the role of teacher leaders (i.e.
the AVID coordinator and elective teachers) will be discussed in detail along with
their impact on parent participation.
District Leadership: Collaboration and Resources
As stated previously, the Mountain Spring Unified School District is unique
because the district administrators have traditionally used a decentralized approach
towards making its decisions. They rely on site administrators and teacher leaders
for recommendations on how to improve the AVID program. This requires district
administrators to communicate and collaborate effectively with site administrators
and teacher leaders. It also involves a lot of time and meetings for all parties
involved. Within the district, there are two liaisons who oversea the AVID program.

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Both individuals have been trained on the purpose of the program and their role is to
disseminate information from the AVID Center to the individual sites.
One district administrator describes her role and how she has tried to modify
the AVID program:
Approximately 7 years ago, there was not any consistency within the AVID
program. Every school was functioning and working on AVID on its own.
You had to separate little AVID cultures-some very strong, depending on the
teacher coordinator. This is why the district created my position-to unite the
schools because our superintendent and assistant superintendent realized that
we needed to tie everyone together. We first started having coordinator
meetings-quarterly coordinator meetings, 4 times a year. The assistant
superintendent of instruction pays for release time for the teachers through
Title II funds and meets with our LACOE coach. She brings the school
perspective while I bring the district’s perspective. I troubleshoot at the
district level, whereas she troubleshoots through LACOE. We all meet and
we decide that we have this to do and we need to do this for site
certifications. We help coordinate the schools. It is an opportunity to discuss
items on the agenda brought to the table by different coordinators. One issue
in particular is how we can get all of our AVID students together from
various sites.

The liaison provides us with an insight on how the AVID program functions
with teacher leaders, site administrators, the county, and district leaders. The AVID
coordinator meetings are critical because it allows her to support and troubleshoot at
the various school sites. Without the quarterly meetings, she believes that she would
feel disconnected with the different sites and teacher leaders. It gives the
coordinators an opportunity to collaborate and share ideas on the different
approaches that may be effective or ineffective at their site. More importantly, it
unites the AVID program within the district and helps the schools with the AVID
certification process.

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In regards to teacher collaboration and training, another district administrator
elaborates on professional development provided at the district. She indicates:
They (AVID Center and LACOE) have AVID training here so they don’t
have to go out of the County. Last year was the first year that the entire
school district gathered that the AVID Conference held in December at Lake
Arrowhead. All of our intermediate schools and high schools participated in
that event. We will have them do that again this year. As far as getting
information out and having and making sure that people are bringing
resources here, we work closely with our accounting office.
Overall, I think we need to keep on working with the principals so that they
get more teachers involved with the training. We need more teachers to be
trained in the content areas. I think they know what the methodologies are
and have expectations for their students. It’s hard because there’s a lot to
focus on here. Ideally, our next step would be to have regular training for
teachers here at the district rather than have them go to the County. We need
to establish teacher trainers and we have not done that yet.

In order to AVID-ize and produce a college going district, it is crucial for the
sites to attend training sessions and collaborate with one another. The administrator
explains that the AVID Center sponsored training and time allocated for
collaboration was a beneficial experience for all participants who attended the event.
AVID teachers and school administrators are updated with the latest information on
the certification process and resources to provide students access to teaching
strategies as well as data on college admissions. However, she also specifies that the
district could improve the AVID program by sending more content area teachers to
training sessions and using the teacher leaders to train at the district.
Aside from the collaboration time and opportunities the district
administrators provide to support the AVID program, there is one more critical
element that is crucial in order to cultivate a college going culture. The district needs

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to provide individual sites with adequate resources to ensure that the AVID program
is fully supported. For some schools, this factor has been a barrier that has prevented
sites from expanding their AVID program. The following excerpts from teachers at
GVHS examine the district’s role in supporting the AVID program:
The district has supported the AVID program by paying for it. That is the
loudest they can do. There’s definitely support at the district, especially
when demonstration schools are bringing a lot of very positive publicity to
the district and showing that we are really committed to doing that.

The district is committed and not hypocritical. It’s not lip service. I have
never encountered any problems with the administration not supporting
AVID.

It is understood that AVID is a line item on the budget. Every year AVID
automatically gets part of the budget without even having to lobby for the
money or anything. I am always asked-how many tutors are you going to
need this year and I always say it depends-14 sections, it’s going to be hard
for me to do this without 15 tutors. The district says ok-15 tutors.

Overall, the general consensus is that the teachers at Garden View High
School believe that district has fully supported the AVID program financially. It
shows that the district is committed to making the AVID program a priority and
successful for all students. Thus, the members of the AVID site team at GVHS do
not encounter any financial issues in supporting the program. However, an obstacle
that may prevent teachers from attending AVID Center sponsored workshops is the
lack of substitutes available within the district.
An AVID content area teacher remarks:
We get release time and a substitute to attend LACOE and AVID Center
sponsored workshops. At our district, substitute teachers are very scarce and
a precious commodity. We do have a lot of in-house training but sometimes

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it’s just very informal. It’s always like ‘let’s try this or get together after
school.’

A district administrator states:

It is so upsetting to me when I get an email from one of the teachers saying
you want us to go to the AVID training but you don’t supply the subs.
There’s nothing really I can do and I’ve already requested the substitutes.
They have to understand that it’s not coming from me, I would supply them
with substitutes-if I could.

The lack of substitutes is inevitable. This appears to be very problematic in different
schools across the county. Even if the district has approved of the teacher to attend
the training session, distributing and allocating the number of substitutes becomes
troublesome. Unfortunately, some teachers feel that they are not supported by the
district when this situation arises. As the content area teacher specified, there are
alternative accommodations towards getting non-AVID elective teachers trained,
informally. However, this issue depends on how involved the AVID site team and
school administration is with supporting the program. The next section will specify
actions that have been taken by the site administration in order to support the AVID
program and change the academic culture.
Site Leadership: Classroom Observations and Communication
Another component that is critical to the success of the AVID program at
Garden View High School is the role and impact of the site administration. At
Garden View, there is one associate principal who oversees the AVID program and
this individual reports directly to the principal on the progress of the program. Both

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administrators are responsible for communicating with the staff and conducting
classroom observations.
It is expected that all content area teachers use AVID strategies in their
classrooms. Although this is the school wide expectation, the principal at GVHS
estimates that approximately only 60 to 65 percent of the faculty members use AVID
strategies on a regular basis. The AVID site team and administrators are working
towards minimizing this gap in order to have to have all teachers be trained and fully
implement AVID techniques in their classrooms. He also indicates that teachers are
granted release time in order to observe and collaborate with one another. The
principal states:
I’ve been in classrooms where not all the teachers have been following the
strategies but we are moving forward with all teachers learning the strategies.
They are feeling more comfortable with those strategies. It’s changing
patterns for teachers and that takes time. It takes time, patience, and the
ability to make mistakes and try new strategies. It’s human nature for
individuals to not try anything new until they have experience success with it.

He acknowledges that all teachers may not buy into the AVID methodologies
immediately and is realistic about his expectations. The principal understands that
all teachers need to be trained and become more acclimated with the AVID mission
and techniques before teaching it to their students. However, he remains optimistic
and persistent about training teachers. In regards to the hiring process, the AVID
coordinator at GVHS adds: “Lately, our associate principal asks what kind of AVID
experience individuals have. If they have the experience, they get plus points in the
hiring process”.

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Based on this brief excerpt from the interview, it is evident that AVID remains a
priority. If a new teacher is familiar with the AVID strategies, the associate principal
will look at the applicant more favorably. More importantly, if the individual teacher
understands the AVID program’s philosophy, buying into the program and changing
the culture of the school becomes an easier task to accomplish. This is also where
communication with staff members becomes another critical factor.
In general, large high schools often view the lack of clear communication as
a barrier in changing the academic climate of the school. However, at Garden View
High School this is not the case. The site administration ensures that information
disseminated in an organized and timely manner. The AVID program at GVHS is
successful because they realize that effective communication is essential. One AVID
elective teacher recalls:
I think our associate principal, Mary Sue Green, is actually doing a good job
of providing opportunities for our students to obtain information about going
to college. Her staff will remind students about college test dates and
speakers. I think she typically announces this through the English classes. I
know there’s some effort being put in it. It is a work in progress and she has
been adding a little bit more to it every year.

The AVID elective teacher has acknowledged that communication between both
students and faculty members have improved drastically since he first started
teaching at GVHS. AVID elective teachers and site administrators have reported
that access to college information has increased through informal conversations
between students and staff members, as well. More and more students at Garden

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View High School are having side conversations with their peers about college
requirements and deadlines. One AVID elective teacher takes an informal survey in
the beginning of the school year about the “A-G” requirements. The results of her
survey indicates that over 95 percent of the students in her science class state that
they are planning to go to college somewhere. After looking at the data, she would
ask the students, “Why don’t you go to a four year university after graduating?” The
students would simply indicate that they have not taken the “A-G” courses and plan
on completing them at a community college. Again, this is evidence to support that
the administration and counseling staff is constantly reminding students about the
“A-G” requirements and college going process. The AVID coordinator recalls:
It takes all kinds of different things to finally make the AVID program at
GVHS successful. In 1993, Jane Doe was the associate principal who
brought the AVID program to Garden View and 5 years later it became an
AVID National Demonstration School. I think she had more of a relationship
with the teachers and they were very receptive. This is a big part in changing
a school culture and that’s when relationships were established. Jane really
understood how the AVID program was supposed to work and this is a big
piece to why we are a demonstration site. However, teacher willingness is a
piece that still has to be stroked.

According to the coordinator, the strong foundation of the AVID program can be
largely attributed to the relationship that the former associate principal built with
other staff members. She specifies that teachers began to buy into the AVID
program after it was first implemented and it is still a challenge today with some
staff members. It is important to note that these relationships can only be established
through effective communication with staff members. In the final analysis,
communication with staff members and students on the college going process is

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another key component to the success of the AVID program at Garden View High
School. A closer examination of the role of teacher leaders and their impact will be
discussed thoroughly in the following section.
Teacher Leaders: The AVID Coordinator and Parent Involvement
After analyzing the data, a reoccurring theme that emerged is the role of
teacher leaders and how they impact the AVID program and the school culture at
Garden View High School. In this particular case study, teacher leaders are defined
as members of the AVID site team (i.e. the coordinator, content area teacher, or
elective teacher). Aside from being full-time classroom teachers, these individuals
have taken the initiative to attend AVID site team meetings, professional
development, and promote the program among staff members. It is critical to note
that all AVID elective teachers are of Hispanic decent. The coordinator specified
that the selection of the AVID elective teachers was based on their culture and
ethnicity so that they can increase parent involvement and communicate more
effectively with them. This section will highlight the role of the AVID coordinator
and her role in supporting teachers. It will also elaborate on how AVID elective
teachers increase parent involvement in school wide functions.
A common theme expressed by all administrators and teachers interviewed
attributed part of the ongoing success of the AVID program at Garden View High
School to the site coordinator. At Garden View High School, the AVID site
coordinator’s responsibilities are as follows:

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• Student Recruitment: collaborate with feeder schools on the application
process for incoming freshmen AVID students
• Voluntary Parent and Student Participation: organize and collaborate
family workshops throughout the year
• Training Tutors: recruit, train, and evaluate college tutors
• Program Analysis and Data Collection: ensure that senior data and
certification information is submitted to AVID Center
• AVID Curriculum and Elective Classes: communicate with site
administration and recruit teachers to be trained in AVID methodologies
In addition, the AVID coordinator is responsible for conducting meetings with the
site team members and ensure that the school is AVID certified. At Garden View
High School, the AVID coordinator must monitor that staff members are using
AVID techniques on a regular basis to sustain their status as a national demonstration
site. The role of the coordinator requires effective communication, patience, and
time beyond the typical duties of a classroom teacher.
According to a district administrator:
Garden View High School has a good thing going there because Mary Smith
is a phenomenal person. There are not too many people like her. She is
100%. She does anything it takes and everything it takes to make the AVID
program work. She loves the work she’s doing and has this effect on people.
There’s a good chunk of people that are affected by her work and other
people that work there. It has never been a perfect high school but they see
themselves as being the best high school in the district. It’s been very
difficult to have everyone be on the same wavelength but they are becoming
that school.

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Another site administrator adds:

Mary Smith has been the driving force behind the AVID program at Garden
View High School. She looked at the requirements in order to become a
national demonstration site and realized that we could be it. She is the one
that is responsible for everything.

The AVID coordinator’s role and impact on the success of the program at
Garden View is critical. The district administrator understands this aspect and
recognizes that the coordinator is working with other staff members to improve the
academic climate of the school. Although the administrator credits the AVID
coordinator for her efforts in improving the program, it would not have been possible
without dedicated members within the site team. The following section will
highlight the role of teacher leaders within the site team.
Members of the AVID site team believe that it is their responsibility to
improve parent involvement and communication. One history teacher
acknowledges:
The AVID site team for the most part is extremely supportive and I think
they are probably the most proactive members of AVID here on campus. It is
a good team that ensures that AVID is carried out in all departments and
teachers are informed of any changes in the program or training events.

Clearly, the teacher believes that the AVID site team has been supportive of all
teachers and are typically available if help is needed. If other staff members feel
comfortable in asking for help with AVID techniques or training, the likelihood of
buy-in within the program increases. The site team members are primarily
responsible to support staff members and create an AVID culture school wide. The

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coordinator has made it her priority to focus on parent involvement within the
school. She relies on the AVID elective teachers to organize events and interact with
all parents. The following anecdotes are from content area teachers and specify what
the AVID site team members have done in regards to increasing parent participation:
Each quarter the AVID team puts on a pot luck dinner to remind parents to be
more involved with their child’s journey to college. Another event where the
team communicates with parents is during Back to School Night.

I know that Mary Smith sets up grade level meetings per quarter. This is
where the parents learn a lot of information about the college going process.
In the past, we’ve had representatives from the UC and CSU. I think parents
have gone on a few field trips to colleges on the bus.

I think the parent part has come a long way now that Myra Wooden, a ninth
grade AVID elective teacher, has been so helpful because she knows how to
get the parents going and organize the pot lucks. She is a bundle of energy
and the parents enjoy her.

The site team is the cheerleading for the AVID program. They’re the ones
with the ear to the ground. They’re the ones who influence our policymakers.
Garden View has the strongest AVID program in the entire district. There are
only 2 or 3 demonstration schools like us in the county. We are able to
inform other folks and let them know the way things are supposed to happen.

Another reason why we are a demonstration site is because of the incredible
number of parents that participate. It is not your traditional PTA group. 25
percent of the parents show up for the freshmen meeting because one of the
AVID elective teachers is cultivating a Latino to Latino conversation. The
elective teacher will translate and add their own twist to which the parents
can really relate to.

Keeping parents updated with the college going process remains a priority for
the AVID site team members. As a part of the recruitment process for entering ninth
grade AVID students, the coordinator schedules “family” interviews. The AVID
coordinator specifies, “We interview the whole family and talk about what AVID is

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and the college going process. We get almost 100 percent parent participation with
the one-on-one with each family and we will talk about their child’s transcripts and
FAFSA.” For many families and students enrolled in the AVID program, the college
going experience is new. The AVID site team recognizes the significance of
educating not only their parents about the process but also other family members.
While the program channels its energy to improve parent communication and
involvement with AVID students, a school wide effort has also been made to inform
parents of non-AVID students. The associate principal overseeing the AVID
program has also stated that a parent institute consisting of over 200 individuals at
Garden View High School has been created to disseminate information on both high
school and college requirements as well as financial aid. The eight week parent
institute gives an insight into how they can support their child in the college going
process. The large number of parents and guardians actively involved with their
child’s education makes Garden View High School unique from other large urban
schools in the Los Angeles County.
Summary of the Leadership Roles
The data presented in this section clearly suggests that the district
administrators, site administrators, and teacher leaders have a direct impact on the
success of the AVID program at Garden View High School. The Mountain Spring
Unified School District makes an effort to allocate collaboration time and provide
release time to its staff members in order to attend AVID professional development.
Many teachers have indicated that the district has done an adequate job in supporting

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the AVID program financially. At the site level, administrators have conducted on-
going classroom observations and communicated effectively what the school wide
expectations are for the staff members and students. Finally, the role of the members
of the AVID site team has directly impacted instruction in the classroom. Without
their support, classroom teachers would be ill-prepared in teaching AVID
methodologies and strategies. Overall, the administrative team at both the district
and site level is working collaboratively to expand the AVID program and support
teachers to increase the number of students eligible to attend a four year university.
Teacher Beliefs and the AVID Program
The teacher’s perception towards the AVID program has a direct impact on
transforming the academic culture of Garden View High School. The
implementation of the AVID techniques is highly dependent on the teacher’s attitude
towards the program. Frequent use of the program’s strategies to scaffold the
learning process for students should be favorable for content area teachers who buy
into the program. However, if teachers view the program negatively, he or she may
not be inclined to use the methodologies routinely or even correctly. It is also
critical to determine whether the AVID program has changed the beliefs of teachers
on minority students attending a four year university. Thus, the intent of this section
is to report findings that focus on teachers’ perception of the AVID program at
Garden View High School and its effectiveness, and the impact it has had on
changing their teaching methodologies.

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Teacher Perceptions on the AVID Program
Although the purpose of the introductory chapter and literature review was to
add to the body of knowledge on the AVID program and its effect on school culture,
a focus of this case study was also to determine teachers’ perceptions on the program
itself. Common themes emerged as data was collected from the in depth interviews
from various teachers and administrators.
One emergent theme was that several teachers believed that the AVID
program has made them more cognizant of their instructional strategies in the
classroom and provided additional resources for the students. More teachers are
comfortable applying the AVID strategies in their content area. Essentially, they are
choosing to use the strategies as tools to reinforce and review abstract concepts in
their content area with their students. A science teacher recalls, “Teachers are more
aware of what they are doing and there is more purpose for AVID strategies. You’ve
got to be direct and deliberate about these strategies.” When AVID was first
introduced to Garden View, content teachers were not adequately trained or
confident enough to use the different techniques in their classrooms. Today, the
methodologies are widespread throughout the school and teachers understand the
intent of the strategies. There is evidence from data collection mandated by the
AVID Center that the majority of the staff members use the strategies them on a
routine basis. This is required in order for GVHS to be certified as a demonstration
site. In regards to resources and support for student learning, one history teacher
indicates:

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Overall, I think AVID is an excellent program. It has a lot to offer students
who really need to have the things that AVID program does offer, such as
tutoring and support. Outside of AVID, there are very little resources
available. I think it’s created a safe haven for students to be involved in
academics. It creates a good bonding culture because students work and
study together. I think the results are definitely very positive.

The teacher perceives the AVID program positively and has stated that it has
provided additional resources that school may not have had prior to implementation
of the program. Interestingly, he acknowledges that aside from AVID, other
resources are scarce. The school may place more of an emphasis on the AVID
program or the individual teacher may not be aware of any other programs or
resources available. It can be inferred from his statement that students are utilizing
the support and it has built a more collaborative culture for not only the teachers but
for the students, as well.
While it appears that there is a consensus that the AVID strategies are
effective and the resources have increased, one AVID elective teacher notes:
I think the AVID strategies are very effective. But I also think a lot of it has
to do with the teacher. I mean it starts with us. But if we come in not
prepared or with a chip on our shoulder that day, it trickles over to the kids.
The strategies and tools are great because they help you make a lot of
connections for the kids.

The elective teacher expresses a valid point. Ultimately, it is the teacher who
has direct contact with the students and his or her instruction affects student
achievement. The strategies are available for use but they are only tools that help
facilitate the learning process for their students. Likewise, site team members are

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also available for help with the strategies. It is extremely crucial for teachers to help
instructional learners make connections in their content area.
It is also important to incorporate student’s perspectives towards the AVID
program. All AVID students who participated in the focus group indicated that they
have aspirations to attend a four year university after graduating from Garden View
High School. The following statements below highlight their goals and future plans
after high school graduation:
Student A notes:
I am planning to go to a four year university and I applied to Cal State LA and Cal
State Long Beach.

Student B states:
I am planning to go to a four year either Cal State or Cal State Long Beach or Cal
State LA and if I don’t get accepted well I definitely will go to a community college.

Student C indicates:
I am going to go to a four year school and I applied to Loyola Marymount
University.

Student D explains:
Well my dream college is Cal Tech and I am applying to it right now. If I don’t get
accepted to Cal Tech I will go to UC Irvine or UCLA.

By participating in the AVID program, students feel more prepared to go to
college. They are also realistic about their expectations and have considered other
options if they do not get accepted to their dream school. The students attribute most
of their preparation to their AVID elective teachers, who have supported them
throughout the college going process. Another student adds: “I think what helps us
stay on track is just the fact that the AVID teachers want you to go to college. I
mean that is the whole purpose of the AVID Program. They motivate you and

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encourage you to accomplish all of your goals.” AVID students understand the
philosophy behind the program and the AVID elective teachers believe that that all
students can succeed.
Even though both teachers and administrators believe that AVID has
enhanced the quality of instruction for students at GVHS, it is also critical to discuss
recommendations for improving the program. A foreign language teacher indicates:
I think the AVID program needs to focus more on developing organizational
work habits and I don’t see much of that here. They need to teach students to
be able to use their time effectively, be more responsible and meet deadlines.
Otherwise, it’s pipe dreams. If I had to rate the program, I’d give it a “C.”
They have so many resources and I see that students are doing things at a low
level. AVID is emphasizing too much on the cheerleading aspect. Is the
program improving study habit skills or helping students score well on their
college entrance exams? I think they are deficient in that. But I can’t dismiss
the program because the affective part is important and they are making a
difference.

Some of the faculty members and I would include myself in this category
have been cynical at times towards the AVID program. I’m often cynical
about the methods and I don’t like that they commit to certain techniques like
Cornell Notes. They are not panaceas and it lacks academic rigor.

Another district administrator believes:

We still have some teachers that are apprehensive and aren’t willing to
change or buy into the program. You always have that. It is difficult but I
think eventually teachers going to have to start buying in.

As previously detailed, some faculty members at Garden View have not supported
the AVID program. This appears to be a challenge that the AVID site members still
need to address. The excerpt above looks at the AVID program from a different
perspective. The foreign language teacher states that AVID places too much of an
emphasis on the affective domain aspect and suggests that students need to be

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challenged academically. He supports his rationale by refereeing to standardized test
scores and GPA of students enrolled in the AVID program. Statistically, they are
well below the national average. According to a press release published by the
College Board, the national average for students taking the verbal portion of the
SAT’s during the 2005-06 academic year was 502, while the average math score was
494 (College Board, 2007). At Garden View High School, approximately 14.8
percent of the graduating senior class took the SATs during the 2005-06 school year.
The average SAT score was 816 out of 1600. Specifically, the average verbal score
was 417 while the average math score was 423. Overall, the foreign language
teacher believes that AVID has helped some students gain access to college but feels
that the school should not commit themselves to only certain strategies within the
program. Furthermore, the AVID Coordinator states, “A lot of my old time AVID
teachers are not particularly happy with having so many AVID kids. But I think it’s
a very positive thing because it’s the affective domain aspect that makes AVID a
strong program.” This comment confirms that the affective domain part of AVID at
GVHS is emphasized and it is difficult to appease all teachers affiliated with the
program because everyone has a different opinion about it.
Changes in Teaching Methodology and Beliefs
This section will highlight whether or not the AVID program has influenced
teachers’ beliefs towards minority students gaining access to postsecondary
education. In general, most teachers and administrators indicated that the AVID
program had no effect in changing their belief systems in regards to minority access

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to college. In fact, one history teacher indicated, “I have high expectations for all my
students, especially with the content that I teach. I don’t lower the bar for them and I
give them different types of strategies and activities to support student learning.”
When an AVID student focus group was interviewed, the results confirmed that they
believed that all of their teachers motivated them to do better academically and care
about them. Thus, it is extremely important for teachers to maintain a high level of
expectation for all of their students. Another teacher specified, “I don’t think the
AVID program has changed my perception about minority student achievement
because I came into education to close the achievement gap.” This shows that the
veteran teacher is still passionate about reforming education and believes that
achievement gap can still be minimized. It is important to add that the teachers
interviewed already had high expectations for minority students and simply used the
AVID program to enhance their instructional practices and support the students in
preparing them for college.
Of the twelve teachers and administrators interviewed, only one stated
explicitly that the AVID program has directly modified her instructional strategies in
the classroom. She indicates that the program has influenced her teaching practices
positively. An English teacher recalls:
AVID has really changed me in terms of using much more collaboration. I
was scared to use it because I wanted more control but I learned how to use it
and I could see how it really is effective for our students. They need the
socialization and then you come back and bring it all back together as a
group.

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According to the English teacher, learning requires socialization. The teacher
strongly believes that all students should have access to AVID strategies and learn
how to work together. It is an essential skill to have in school and when they begin
working. She learned that collaboration and group work was yet another tool that the
AVID program focused on. She also had to alter her teaching methods to cater to the
student centered approach to check for progress and understanding.
The implementation of the AVID program has had a significant impact on
teaching pedagogy and strategies at Garden View High School. In addition, the
teacher’s perceptions and experience with the AVID program has been positive
overall. Although the AVID program seeks to change the perceptions of teachers
who have lower expectations of minority students, the data reveals that teacher’s
beliefs about minority student achievement and their access to college has not been
altered. This can be attributed partly because perhaps the group of teachers
interviewed in this case study entered the profession with a desire to change the
status quo and to prepare future generations. It is evident that they use the effective
techniques from the AVID program.
An Examination of School Culture
As previously stated, the case study seeks to add to the body of research on
the AVID program and examine the academic culture of a high school. The teacher
and administrator interviews and student focus groups indicated that they believe that
40 to 50 percent of the student population at GVHS will attend college after high
school graduation. The culminating section will provide an insight on the culture of

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Garden View High School before and after the AVID program was implemented. It
brings together findings across the sub-research questions and will highlight school
culture in regards to student morale and achievement. A district administrator notes:
Garden View High School has an outstanding AVID program. The last
figure I heard about the number of students in the elective alone was 400
students. When you have a number like that, it permeates the school.
You’ve got not only an exceptional coordinator but other teachers who work
with that program who are very enthusiastic about it and supportive. They
collaborate with each other. When you have a good AVID program going
on, teachers want those students in their classrooms because they see them as
role models. This gives the school an element for college going and I think it
permeates the culture there.

Based on the district administrator’s perception, the success of the AVID
program at Garden View can be attributed to the AVID site team and content area
teachers. She recognizes that staff members are available to collaborate with another
and share ideas. Moreover, the AVID program has increased student achievement
and learning for those enrolled in the program. As a result, this factor has helped
permeate the college going culture that the AVID program seeks to change at a low
performing high school.
After teaching at Garden View High School for nearly eleven years (38 years
in the district), an English teacher explains:
Garden View used to be very anti-academic. It used to be intimidating if you
wanted to be an academia. There was a lot of I don’t want to be a ‘school
boy’ attitude. Now, we have College Week and its okay to be very academic.
The AVID kids make college posters and pendants for other teachers. They
are not torn down by other students. We talk more openly about going to
college fairs, workshops, financial aid, or personal statements. It is okay to
do so now. There is a turn around in attitude.

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Within the last decade, it is evident based on this individual teacher’s
perspective that the AVID program has worked hard to change the perceptions of
both students and teachers. The spillover effect has provided students with
opportunities to collaborate and discuss options for going to college. The AVID
program has facilitated the college going process for all students at Garden View. At
the beginning of the year, the AVID site team members and students work together
to plan out College Week at Garden View High School. Each day corresponds to a
different college activity and the purpose is to increase student awareness about
colleges. Some activities include college rivalry competitions (e.g. UCLA vs. USC)
and trivia questions about various colleges. Teachers will get involved by wearing
sweatshirts that represent their alma mater. In addition, an AVID elective teacher
adds:
I went to the rival high school, Mount Vista. The students that attended
Garden View were always referred to as the poor kids and the gangsters.
When I came to teach here, it was far from that. I think just coming from one
of the surrounding schools, I had my own perception. When I actually came,
these kids are pretty bright and then our test scores were going up every year,
more than the other high schools within the district. We now have the
advantage.

This excerpt reconfirms that the school culture at Garden View has changed
dramatically. The teacher attributes part of the change to increasing CST scores and
her own interactions with students in her classes. Her views are intriguing because
she has an insider’s perspective since she is a graduate of the district. Another

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content area teacher provides his insight on the academic culture of the school
currently:
The academic culture at the present time is on the positive swing. It’s
definitely taken some time for it to develop to where it is now. The students
understand that academics are really important. The culture has changed
since the time I first time I started teaching here. AVID is known here on
campus. Kids know about the AVID program and the culture.

Furthermore, a science teacher adds:
The culture on campus has changed since I first started teaching here.
Students and families understand that students need to get through high
school. They understand that that’s important. Many of our parents that send
their kids here have not finished school-whether it was in this country or
where they’re from. There are a lot of first generation students who are
potentially going to college and that’s one of the reasons why they brought
AVID to GVHS.

The academic climate of Garden View High School has changed as a result
of the AVID program. The content area teachers specify that both parents and
students at GVHS now understand the significance of completing high school and
college. In the past, both entities did not value education as much. The AVID
program is responsible for changing these perceptions and increasing college
awareness.
Similarly, a site administrator acknowledges, “I think the AVID program set
the foundation for developing a college going culture as a school with the support of
our district to develop a college going culture within each program. The AVID
program has been one of the best avenues to change the academic culture of the
school.” He explains that AVID has set a foundation for Garden View to promote a
college going culture at the high school. This is critical because the expansion of the

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program is highly dependent on AVID teacher training, school wide collaboration,
and high expectation for all students at GVHS. In fact, when students were asked
how teachers support them in the college going process, one student revealed, “Our
teachers set their standards very high and motivate us to do well and this helps us a
lot.” Teacher beliefs on student achievement continues to play a vital role in the
learning process. Students, teachers, and administrators recognize that an AVID
culture exists at Garden View to enhance learning opportunities for all students.
In addition, the AVID students who participated in the focus group stated that
the program has helped all of them become eligible to attend a four year university.
According to the AVID seniors, positive role models, tutorials, test preparation, and
field trips are some of the tools that the AVID elective class provides to ensure
student success. The excerpts below from various students highlight the positive
aspects of the AVID program:
A female AVID student states:

The AVID Program has given me a lot of tips. It has helped me get the
information for the ACTs, the SATs, and other placement exams. It has
changed me. It has given me the opportunity to go on field trips to explore
the different colleges. Overall, it has been a good experience for me.

A male AVID senior comments:

The tutorials help you a lot when you are going to have a test. It helps you
study and the college tutors that they have helps us too. I think having
college students really help us because we get help from people that are
already in college so other students might not have that.

It is evident that AVID students see the benefits of being apart of the
program. Some AVID students have even indicated that they feel that have an

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advantage over other non-AVID students because they are constantly reminded
about the various deadlines for standardized testing and college applications.
Although some AVID students may believe this, the program has also directly
impacted the culture of the school, positively. There has been an increase in:
statewide standardized test scores on the CST and number of students taking
advanced placement courses and completing the A-G requirements. In regards to the
CST scores, the Academic Performance Index (API) can be used to measure school
wide performance. For the 2006-07 school year, Garden View’s API score was 614
out of 1000. In 2005-06, the school’s API score was a 577. Garden View High
School improved its API score by 37 points. Of the 545 students that graduated
during the 2005-2006 academic year, there were 138 students (or 25 percent) that
successfully completed the A-G requirements. This number increased substantially
during the 2006-2007 school year. Nearly 224 (or 40 percent) students out of a
graduating class of 550 successfully completed the A-G requirements. An AVID
elective teacher remarks, “There are kids who are really determined and trying to
improve themselves academically. A lot of parents are really starting to step up and
really push their kids to go to college.” Parents are beginning to understand how to
support their students academically and they realize that a high school diploma is no
longer sufficient in today’s society. It appears on the surface that the opportunities
and resources are available at Garden View High School but students need to take
advantage of them.

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In sum, the aforementioned elements (i.e. the structural and policy changes,
the leadership team, and teacher perceptions) have contributed to changing the
academic culture under the AVID program at GVHS. In regards to the structural and
policy changes, these specific factors include: professional development, staff
collaboration, master scheduling, college preparatory curriculum, cross-integration
of AVID strategies, and districted mandated A-G requirements. Continuous training
under the AVID program and effective school wide collaboration is imperative for
teachers to develop professionally. Students need to have access to a college
preparatory curriculum (as well as AVID strategies) and the master schedule at
GVHS accommodates this necessity. The implementation of the AVID program has
provided an avenue for district administrators to ensure college access to all students
by mandating the A-G requirements.
While organizational structures and policies play a vital role, support is also
needed from the district and site leadership team. To transition to a college going
culture, both district and site administrators must have a shared vision and support all
staff members and students towards achieving this goal. It is Mountain View High
School District’s responsibility to provide collaboration time and find financial
resources to fund the AVID program. Site administrators at Garden View conduct
classroom observations, provide feedback to teachers, ensure that AVID strategies
are being utilized school wide, and communicate effectively about goals with faculty
members on a routine basis. The last entity of the leadership team includes the
teacher leaders, who are members of the AVID site team. These individuals are

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typically responsible for increasing parent involvement and coordinating college
activities school wide to help infuse the college going culture, which are important
factors that contribute to changing the school wide culture. For the leadership team,
support to all parties involved is crucial. Finally, teachers’ perceptions and their
integration of AVID techniques are additional factors that help promote the college
going mission at GVHS. It is evident that teachers have high expectations for their
students and attempt to utilize the AVID strategies within their curriculum to
increase student achievement. Again, these factors specified must be present in
order to change the academic culture at Garden View High School.
Conclusion
This chapter represents the identification and analysis of factors that
contribute to changing the academic culture of an urban high school under the AVID
program. The research questions focused on identifying the specific factors that
support a college going culture at Garden View High School under the AVID
program. After collecting and analyzing the data, several themes were identified and
explored in detail. These overarching themes attempted to answer the three sub
questions in reference to: policy and structural changes, how site and district
administrators contribute to the implementation of the AVID program, and how
AVID has changed teacher perceptions about minority students attending a four year
university. The themes discussed within each sub question represented the most
common and significant data relating to the research questions.

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The implementation of the AVID program has significantly impacted the
college going culture at Garden View High School. It is evident that the AVID
program has influenced both policy and structural changes school wide. Because
GVHS is a demonstration school, teachers have increased their participation in
professional development activities. More teachers are collaborating with one
another and using AVID techniques in their classrooms to support student learning.
The use of college preparatory curriculum is now widespread within the content
areas. These changes have also affected the master scheduling and number of
students completing the A-G requirements as well as Advanced Placement courses.
As a result, the superintendent has decided to require all students to enroll in the A-G
courses in order to be eligible for a four year university.
The changes specified above appear to indicate that the AVID program has
positively influenced the academic culture of the school. However, it is crucial to
discuss the challenges associated with the structural and policy changes school wide.
Unfortunately, not every teacher at GVHS has attended an AVID workshop or
supports the program entirely. Therefore, teachers are not held accountable for using
AVID strategies. Financial resources and the lack of substitutes are also constraints
that the school faces. Although these challenges address AVID training, it is
important to note the impact of the AVID program on the master scheduling. Since
the AVID program is limited to only 400 students, it is possible that those who may
benefit from the program are not placed in the elective class (and vice versa).
Monitoring all students who wish to go to college and ensuring that they are

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adequately prepared and enrolled in the A-G courses is an overwhelming task for the
counselors. This is attributed mainly to the large student population at the school.
To adequately prepare students for college, academic rigor and high expectations
must be demanded by the AP or content area instructor. Policies and structures are
not in place yet to accommodate all students to enroll in the A-G required courses.
While the data produced by teacher interviews have indicated the changes in
structures and policies school wide are as a result of the implementation of the AVID
program, a strong leadership team is needed to support staff members and students.
At the district level, administrators provide collaboration time for teachers to interact
and fund the AVID program. The district leaders troubleshoot and support the
AVID site team and administrators. The site administration communicates with
faculty members on a regular basis and conducts classroom observations to ensure
student progress and learning. Perhaps the most imperative role is the AVID site
coordinator. Both teachers and administrators credit the success of the AVID
program at Garden View High School to the AVID site coordinator and the site
team. As teacher leaders, it is their responsibility to support students and staff
members in implementing the AVID program and increase school wide parent
involvement. Their roles are critical to changing the academic culture of the school.
Finally, the last sub question addressed teacher beliefs towards the AVID
program. Most teachers interviewed in the case study believed that the AVID
program has contributed positively to changing the academic culture of the school.
In general, more teachers are aware of the AVID strategies and have integrated them

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into their curriculum. The AVID program at Garden View High School has also
increased student morale. However, almost all the teachers and administrators
interviewed had high expectations for minority students prior to the AVID program
being implemented. Essentially, they strongly felt that all students can attend college
if they utilized the resources offered at Garden View High School.
Based on the interviews and student focus groups, Garden View High
School’s academic culture has changed drastically after the implementation of the
AVID program. Both teachers and students strongly agree that the school has
improved academically. This can be verified by improvements in standardized test
scores for the last seven consecutive years, number of students taking both college
preparatory and advanced level courses and increase in number of students attending
college. In addition, students feel more comfortable in being part of the AVID
program and going to college is more socially acceptable among the students
enrolled at GVHS. The students at Garden View High School participate actively
when college activities are organized by the AVID program. It is important to note
that these changes cannot be attributed entirely to the implementation of the AVID
program but some factors may be associated with it. Overall, the impact of the
AVID program at Garden View has significantly altered the culture of the school,
positively.

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CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS OF FINDINGS
Introduction
The intent of the study was to illuminate specific factors and provide accurate
data on whether the AVID program has contributed to changing the academic culture
of a large urban high school. As previously indicated, the success of the AVID
program has been well documented through past research and ongoing data
collection (Watt, Powell, & Mendiola, 2004; Cunningham, Redmond, & Merisotis,
2003; Watt, Yanez, & Cossio, 2003; Guthrie & Guthrie, 2002; Guthrie & Guthrie,
2000; Mehan, Villanueva, Hubbard, & Lintz, 1996; Hayward, Brandes, Kirst, &
Mazzeo, 1997; U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and
Improvement, 1998; Gandara, Larson, Rumberger, & Mehan, 1998; Advancement
via Individual Determination, n.d). Although AVID has expanded rapidly
throughout public schools in the United States, researchers have yet to provide
concrete data to determine whether the program has been effective in transforming
the culture of a school.
This case study involved an analysis of how the AVID program has
positively or negatively impacted the academic culture at Garden View High School.
The method of data collection was in the form of on-site teacher interviews and
student focus groups. Based on the results of this case study, it appears that the
AVID program has had a positive effect towards producing a college going culture at
Garden View High School. The qualitative interviews show that more students are
accepted to four year institutions. Additional data also suggests that more students

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are enrolling in college preparatory courses, taking college entrance exams, and
increasing their standardized test scores on statewide exams.
After analyzing the data, two critical questions arose and needed to be
examined in further detail. First, “Why would low performing schools choose not to
implement the AVID if there is both qualitative and quantitative data supporting the
ongoing success of the program?” Second, “How do policymakers create systems
for low performing AVID certified high schools to mirror the success of
transforming the academic culture similar to Garden View High School?”
In regards to the first question, some educators believe that AVID is
extremely costly to implement and may have the misconception that the program is
focused on only a select group of students. Many states, such as California, are
currently experiencing a large budget deficit and policymakers have decreased
funding in education. This financial crisis has led school districts to cut specialized
programs (like AVID) and forced them to reprioritize their needs. One possible
answer for the second question posed, is that the factors identified (i.e. structural and
policy changes, administrative support, and teacher perceptions) towards producing a
college going culture may be specific only to GVHS. In other words, it may not be
possible to replicate the successes because of the dynamics and relationships
between students and staff members at Garden View. There could possibly be more
structural and policy changes that have led to changing the culture. These factors
may not have been mentioned specifically by the interviewees or the student focus
group. These hidden factors may include: the utilization of project based learning or

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other research-based instructional strategies, the creation of a school improvement
team, or the establishment of an after school extra help program (Southern Regional
Education Board, n.d).
Aside from documenting the structural and policy changes that have
influenced the culture of the school under the AVID program, another intention of
the study was to emphasize the importance of district and school wide leadership
roles. The data collected showed that teacher leaders have impacted the AVID
program more significantly than site or district administrators. One possible
conclusion could be that the teacher leaders have a direct contact with other faculty
members and students. This is not surprising since it again coincides with the
decentralized leadership approach utilized across the district. Evidently, the AVID
coordinator and elective teachers have been credited towards the success of the
AVID program and are mainly responsible for producing a spillover effect to change
the culture at GVHS. Thus, one may ask: What happens if the AVID coordinator or
elective teachers decide to leave GVHS? What actions are currently being taken to
ensure that structures and systems are in place to monitor the success of the program
and positively impact school culture? Are other faculty members being trained to
become knowledgeable about the AVID program and future teacher leaders? The
findings presented in this case study highlighted the significance of these individuals
and how they have supported their colleagues in regards to professional development
and training.

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The last element of the study highlighted teacher’s perceptions related to the
techniques and strategies within the AVID program. Moreover, it also seeks to
determine whether the program had a profound effect on not only their day to day
instructional practices but also their beliefs in minority student achievement and
access to college. Ultimately, how has the AVID program modified their
instructional strategies in the classroom? Did it have an effect on their perceptions
towards increasing minority student access to college? The results of the qualitative
study indicated that the AVID program has equipped various content area and
elective teacher with more tools and strategies but has not changed their perceptions
of minority student achievement and access to a four year institution. The majority
of teachers and administrators interviewed agreed that holding students accountable
to high expectations was important to their success in rigorous courses and in
college.
As a result of the implementation of the AVID program, a major conclusion
is that there is heightened awareness of the A-G elective courses and requirements
for college from the student’s perspective. The faculty members interviewed were
all aware of the district’s plan to require all students to enroll in A-G courses starting
with the class of 2013. All parents, students, and staff members will be impacted by
this new policy change. More classroom teachers increased their awareness of the
purpose of AVID because they have attended formal or informal training. They are
also more conscious of the strategies within the program and when to use them in
their content area. Thus, students have access to better study skills and techniques to

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better equip them for higher level courses as well as college. Two common
challenges include the lack of teacher buy into the AVID program and the lack
substitute availability. In sum, the AVID program at Garden View High School has
had a significant impact on changing the academic culture in a more positive
direction.
Connections to Prior Research
The results from this case study can be connected to the literature on the
AVID program and school culture. Chapter Two examined research on the AVID
program in different domains: Student Achievement, School Culture, and Teacher
Beliefs and Perceptions of Minority Students. In the sections that follow, I will
bridge the connection between these areas of research and the findings from my
study. It is important to note that this is the first study of its kind that examined the
impact of AVID on school culture.
Student Achievement
The Student Achievement subsection of the literature review indicated
student success within the AVID program was measured based on college
acceptance rates and enrollment in college preparatory (i.e. Advanced Placement or
honors) courses (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2000; Mehan et al., 1999; Watt, Powell, &
Mendiola, 2004). The research in this section emphasized the success of students
enrolled in the AVID program. Furthermore, previous research conducted by Watt
et al. (2002) revealed that the AVID program has influenced school policy and a
strong leadership team is needed to ensure access to college for minority students. A

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later study by Watt et al. (2006) indicated that high schools that were AVID certified
in Texas showed an increase in graduation rates and standardized test scores.
However, the success of minority students is contingent on the school providing
adequate educational and support systems to adapt to their environment (Conchas,
2001; Ogbu 1990; Mehan et al., 1996; Bourdieu (1986); Monkman et al., 2005;
Stanton-Salazar, 1997). The AVID program seeks to provide support by
recommending the use of AVID techniques (i.e. Cornell notes) to be implemented in
all content area and elective courses. These findings are consistent with those from
this case study, where an emergent theme was the widespread use of college
preparatory curriculum and cross-curricular integration of AVID strategies. This in
turn also increased the number of students taking college entrance exams (i.e.
SAT’s) and enrolled in rigorous courses. As a result, the AVID program has
produced a spillover effect on increasing access to the number of students taking the
required A-G elective courses. In fact, this is a novel finding, as no prior studies
have documented this. At Garden View, the program has also contributed to laying
the foundation for the district to mandate A-G courses for all students in the near
future, hence resulting not only in a school-wide change but a district-wide change as
well.
School Culture
The School Culture portion of the literature review emphasized the
importance of: structural and policy changes and strong leadership teams under the
AVID program. Conchas (2001) found that school structures are important to

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student learning and achievement. Moreover, Gruenert (2005) further indicated that
there are six variables that are associated with student success and transforming the
academic culture of a school. These variables are: unity of purpose, collaborative
leadership, professional development, teacher collaboration, collegial support, and
learning partnership (Grunert, 2005). All six factors were evident at Garden View
High School after implementing the AVID program. This section will utilize
Grunert’s (2005) factors that affect school culture. These variables are discussed in
detail to highlight the impact of the AVID program and show evidence of each as
depicted through teacher and administrator interviews as well as student focus
groups.
Purpose. The staff and students at Garden View High School understood the
mission and philosophy of the AVID program. They understood that the program is
used as a vehicle to transform the school into a college going culture by increasing
the percentage of students school-wide who were eligible to attend a four year
university. Specifically, teachers attended both formal and informal training on the
program and utilized AVID strategies in different content areas. For instance,
teachers understood that students at GVHS needed to develop a system for taking
notes in order to be successful in their academic classes and in college. For example,
the Cornell Note taking method was introduced to staff members through the AVID
program. Because GVHS is a national demonstration site, all teachers are expected
to integrate AVID methodologies in their content area. While some teachers found
this to be a difficult transition, site administrators have reported that both new and

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veteran teachers have experienced success with AVID techniques. The AVID site
team and administration continue to provide support to teachers and students in
implementing AVID strategies in order to have all teachers utilize them on a routine
basis in their classrooms. In sum, content area teachers now understand the role of
AVID and why the strategies are emphasized school wide.
Professional Development and Collaboration. The ability to collaborate with
other faculty members has also improved after Garden View High School received
its distinction as an AVID national demonstration site. Administrators and teachers
are encouraged to attend LACOE and AVID Center sponsored professional
development training. As a national demonstration school, GVHS holds training
sessions to assist other AVID elective and content area teachers to improve their
teaching strategies. At the site level, the AVID coordinator holds meetings during
collaboration days and offers after school training sessions to train teachers about the
program. According to Pritchard & Marshall (2002), effective professional
development occurs when schools: (1) value teachers’ attitudes and abilities, (2) train
and ensure that classroom teachers have both content and pedagogical knowledge,
(3) communicate and plan all parties involved in student learning and stake holders,
(4) encourage teachers to assume multiple roles as mentors and problem solvers, (5)
provide unconditional support to staff members, (6) create innovative inservice
activities, and (7) possess active leaders within schools. All of these factors are
present at Garden View High School, underscoring the importance of professional
development to the success of AVID. One English teacher even found that attending

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AVID workshops taught her how to use student collaboration more effectively in her
classroom. It is evident that faculty members value professional development and
collaboration time at Garden View High School.
Collegial Support. An important component to changing the culture of the
school is role of the leadership team (DuFour, 2002; Fullan & Hargreaves, 1996;
Short & Greer, 2002, Sparks, 2002; Zimmerman, 2005). At Garden View High
School, the leadership team is composed of district personnel, site administrators,
and teacher leaders. The district administrators are primarily responsible for
providing financial resources to fund the AVID program while site administrators
conduct classroom observations and communicate with staff members. Teacher
leaders consist of AVID site team members who provide hands-on training to their
colleagues and promote the program by planning school wide college activities.
Bolman and Deal (1994) acknowledged that mentoring individuals through
establishing relationships and forming alliances are crucial to implement reform
within an organization. During his interview, the principal indicated that building
meaningful relationships with faculty members is a priority in improving student
success at GVHS. In addition, many of the teachers interviewed believe the site and
district administration provided adequate support for the AVID program. However,
external factors such as the availability of substitutes needed for teachers to attend
AVID workshop remains a challenge for the district. Fortunately, the AVID
coordinator and elective teachers have provided an alternative solution by
conducting training sessions after school or during collaboration days.

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Parent Involvement. Another factor that directly influences the culture of the
school and student performance is parent involvement. The AVID site team realizes
that it is important to keep all parents informed with the college going process.
Every student who enrolls in the AVID program at Garden View is required to go
through a one-on-one family interview process with the AVID site team.
Throughout the year, the AVID coordinator plans grade level meetings for parents to
discuss financial aid, transcripts, courses, or any other pertinent issue related to
college. Counselors and administrators have implemented an eight week parent
institute to educate parents on the college going process. Thus, the success of the
AVID program can also be attributed to the number of parents actively involved in
their child’s education, which is a distinguishing characteristic from other large
urban high schools within the Los Angeles County.
Teacher Beliefs and Perceptions of Minority Students
A key component to the success of the AVID program is dependent on
having high expectations for all students succeed (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2000; Guthrie
& Guthrie, 2002; Mehan et al., 1999; Watt, Powell, & Mendiola, 2004). The
implementation of the AVID at Garden View High School has impacted teachers’
perceptions about the program itself. Interestingly, the AVID program made little or
no impact on changing a teachers’ beliefs and expectations of minority students
attending a four year institution after high school graduation. The interview data of
teachers suggests that they entered the profession with a passion to change public
education and provide opportunities for all students to excel. These teachers may

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have chosen to utilize the techniques within the AVID program because they already
had high expectations for minority students. Gehrke (2005) found that successful
classroom teachers are well equipped with knowledge of their environment, possess
a sense of identity, and maintain a high level of expectations for students. This
complements the research presented in the literature review on teacher beliefs.
Implications for Future Research
The effectiveness of the AVID program was used to increase minority
student access to college and ultimately-transform the academic culture of a school.
As specified by both Grissmer et al. (1998) and Ormrod (2003), there are a plethora
of factors that can contribute to academic success or failure of minority students in
regards to access to college. While this case study offered valuable insight into the
perceptions of teachers, administrators, and students affiliated with the AVID
program, further research is needed to fully understand the link between the AVID
program and how it seeks to create a college going culture at a large urban high
school. The list below specifies recommendations of future areas of research on the
AVID program and its impact on school culture.
• A detailed study of students’ and parents’ perceptions on how the AVID
program attempts to transform school culture.
• Multiple case studies comparing and contrasting the successes and failures of
high school AVID programs related to changing the academic culture.
• Conducting a longitudinal case study of an AVID certified high school and
examining changes in school culture over time.

130
• Examining socio-cultural factors implicitly and explicitly that support
minority student achievement under the AVID program and how it
transforms the academic culture of a high school.
• A case study comparing and contrasting AVID certified sites and non-AVID
certified schools in terms of how they cultivate a college-going culture.
• Data analysis of student achievement of AVID students and non-AVID
students as measured by: grade point average (GPA), standardized test
scores (SAT or ACT), and number of A-G elective (or AP) courses,
comparing AVID national demonstration high schools, AVID certified
schools, and non-AVID schools with similar student demographics.
• A longitudinal study of students enrolled in AVID program since elementary
school and tracking these individuals throughout high school and at a four-
year institution.
Implications for Policy and Practice
Based on the findings of this study in addition with past research on school
culture, school districts and sites who are either utilizing the AVID program or
considering its implementation in the future, should consider the following:
Master Scheduling: A-G Requirements and Advanced Placement Courses.
The AVID site team, counselors, and administrators should be responsible for
ensuring that all students have access to a college preparatory curriculum. This
includes access and setting requirements school wide for students to be enrolled in
A-G elective courses (unless parents opt out of this school policy). One factor that

131
made the AVID program at GVHS successful was that each content area teacher had
no more than ten AVID students per class. The policy was implemented by a former
associate principal and the current coordinator because they wanted to create a
spillover effect to change the academic culture of the school. AVID students are
expected to be leaders within the classroom by coaching their peers and teachers on
the use of AVID methodologies. However, this policy did not apply to honors or AP
classes because the mission of AVID is challenge students in rigorous courses.
Effective and Ongoing Professional Development. Provide extensive,
specific, and continuous professional development for both teachers and
administrators. The district will be responsible for providing resources to ensure that
the AVID program is supported. They are responsible for providing release time,
compensation, and funding for training. District administrators should be proactive
in sending teachers and administrators to the AVID Summer Institutes and LACOE
workshops. It is recommended that at least two individuals from the core content
areas (English, math, social studies, and science) attend AVID Summer Institutes
every year. This will provide opportunities for teachers to collaborate with the
AVID site team, understand the philosophy of the program, and train other teachers
within their departments. Professional development should be focused on training
content area (or new) teachers AVID techniques or new elective teachers.
Individuals already teaching the AVID elective course are recommended to attend
leadership strands in order to coach or mentor other staff members. It is expected
that all teachers would utilize the AVID strategies and learn more about how to use

132
the program to produce a spillover effect to shape a college going culture. At the site
level, teachers should be given release time to collaborate and develop cross-
curricular activities to implement in their content area. The AVID site team should
continue to mentor and support content area teachers and implement more college
preparatory activities to be infused with the core curriculum (e.g. Financial Aid
(FAFSA) in economics). This would ensure that teachers are equipped with the
strategies and tools to make the AVID program a success at the site level. Both non-
AVID and AVID students should receive access to college preparatory curriculum
aligned with content.
Parent Involvement. It is crucial for parents to be informed about the college
going process and requirements. Clear and concise communication via email,
monthly newsletters, meetings, or phone calls from the school to parents is
imperative. At Garden View High School, an eight week parent institute was created
to teach parents about high school graduation and college requirements. This
showed the district’s commitment to supporting parents in educating them about
higher education. Another alternative could be creating parent handbooks that will
help them understand: the A-G requirements, information about standardized exams,
and deadlines to apply. These handbooks should also be provided in other
languages, if the student demographics are diverse. The handbooks should be
distributed to all parents and entering freshmen.

133
Conclusion
The effectiveness of the AVID program is highly contingent on the factors
outlined above. The program continues to serve as a vehicle to change the academic
culture of a school by increasing the number of minority students who have access to
a college preparatory curriculum and who are eligible to attend a four-year
institution. Although the current case study provides timely and detailed information
into the perceptions of teachers, administrators, and students, more research needs to
be conducted to ensure that these factors under the AVID program directly
contribute to changing the school culture. The small sample of the number of
teachers, students, and administrators interviewed also serves as a limitation to the
study. Unfortunately, there is also self-selectivity bias within the AVID program
because both students and teachers choose to participate in the program. Based on
both quantitative and qualitative data from the AVID Center, it is clear that the
AVID program affected student achievement.
In this case study, AVID has also impacted the academic culture of the
school positively. However, it is important to illuminate that the program did not
impact a teacher’s perceptions of minority student achievement and access to
college. Systems, policies, and structures need to be established in order for the
AVID program to be successfully implemented and transform the culture of a school.
A strong leadership and an in-depth understanding of the AVID program’s
philosophy needs to be understood by all faculty members. As a result of the
implementation of the AVID program, it is evident that teachers, administrators, and

134
students have access to additional resources, information, and techniques to ensure
access to college. In the final analysis, the effectiveness of the AVID program in
regards to school culture will be measured by structural and policy changes, support
from the leadership team, teacher perceptions, and other factors that support student
learning and the college going mission.

135
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APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW PROTOCOL FOR TEACHERS
Teachers’ Perceptions
Background
1. How long have you been a teacher? How many years have you been teaching
at this school? What grades do you teach? What content area do you teach?
2. Please explain how you are affiliated with the AVID program.
• Have you been actively involved on the AVID site team? If so, please
explain your role.
• Are you an AVID (or have you been) elective teacher? If yes, how long?
AVID Program and Contribution to School Culture
3. Please describe the academic culture of the school.
• How does the school support a college going culture for all students?
• Is this a school where you believe that all students have access to a
college preparatory curriculum?
• Are all students prepared to go to college after high school graduation?
• What evidence can you provide to show this (i.e. the percentage of
students going to college, number of students taking the SAT’s, students
enrolled in “A-G” or UC approved electives, etc)?
4. How do students obtain information on the college going process (i.e. career
center, field trips, counselors, guest speakers, etc)?
• What percentage of students enrolled are fully aware of the college going
resources provided at your school?

142
• Please describe the support systems are in place for minorities and/or first
generation students.
5. In the past, what actions have been taken to improve school wide emphasis
and communication on preparing students to go to college?
• Have these strategies been effective or ineffective? What evidence can
you provide?
• What can be done to improve this?
Policy and Structural Changes that support the development of the AVID program
6. Have you attended an AVID LACOE workshop or AVID Summer Institute?
(Professional Development)
• If yes, what was the training on?
• How has this training changed your instructional practices in the
classroom to in order to promote a college going culture?
7. How has your school or district provide on-going support and training for
teachers (or new teachers) who are unable to attend AVID training?
• How do they provide this time to you (i.e. staff meeting time, substitute
release time, staff development day, etc)?
• How has the AVID site team contributed to training and support?
8. How has the AVID program contributed to structural changes within the
school? If so, how?
• How has the school adapted and integrated the AVID program to promote
a college going culture?

143
• What assemblies, meetings, or other events does the school organize in
order to inform parents and students about the college going process? (i.e.
college nights, back-to-school, open house, etc)
Teacher’s Beliefs and AVID
9. What are some expectations you have of your students?
• Do you anticipate the majority (at least 50 percent) of your students to
attend a four year university after high school graduation? Why or why
not?
10. How do you prepare your students both academically and socially for
college?
• What evidence can you provide?
11. How has the AVID program impacted the culture of the school? Negatively
or Positively?
• What is your opinion on the AVID program?
• What are some strengths and weaknesses of the program?
12. Would you teach an AVID elective course if given the opportunity? Why or
why not?
13. How has the AVID program closed the achievement gap between minority
students and their White counterparts?
• Has the school or AVID site team used data to track changes for these
students as a result of the AVID program?
• What evidence do you have for this?

144
• Have your attitudes and perceptions changed about minority student
achievement after the program was implemented? If so, how?
Site and District Administrator Support and AVID
14. How has the AVID site team and administration been supportive towards
AVID students and producing a college going culture at your school?
• If yes, what type of support is provided? Please explain.
• Does the district provide any professional development related to the
AVID program? If so, how often and when?

145
APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW PROTOCOL FOR ADMINISTRATORS
District and Site Support
Background
1. How long have you been an administrator at your school district/site?
2. Can you please describe the initial stages of the implementation of adopting
the AVID program for school reform? What were some of the main reasons
for selecting this program?
• Who made the decision to implement the AVID program?
• Who determined why the site became a “national demonstration”
school?
School Culture and AVID
3. Please describe the academic culture of the school.
• How long have you been affiliated with the AVID program?
• How does the school support a college going culture for all students?
• Is this a school where you believe that all students have access to a
college preparatory curriculum?
• Are all students prepared to go to college after high school graduation?
• What evidence can you provide to show this (i.e. the percentage of
students going to college, number of students taking the SAT’s, students
enrolled in “A-G” or UC approved electives, etc)?
4. How do students obtain information on the college going process (i.e. career
center, field trips, counselors, guest speakers, etc)?

146
• What percentage of students enrolled are fully aware of the college going
resources provided at your school?
• Please describe the support systems are in place for minorities and/or first
generation students.
5. In the past, what actions have been taken to improve school wide emphasis
and communication on preparing students to go to college?
• Have these strategies been effective or ineffective? What evidence can
you provide?
• What can be done to improve this?
Policy and Structural Changes that support the development of the AVID program
6. As a result of the implementation and expansion of the AVID program school
wide, how have school polices changed on a macro (district level) and micro
(site level)?
• How did you come up with these policies? Has it been effective? Or
ineffective?
• Do you believe that all teachers at GVHS follow AVID strategies?
• Are there consequences for not integrating the AVID strategies in a
particular content area? (Poor Stull Evaluations?)
Site and District Administrator Support and AVID
7. Have you attended an AVID LACOE workshop or AVID Summer Institute?
(Professional Development)
• If yes, what was the training on?

147
8. How has this training changed your instructional practices in the classroom to
in order to promote a college going culture
9. How do you (as either a district or site administrator) support teachers in the
implementation of the AVID program?
• Can you please give specific examples?
10. What type of professional development activities are implemented so that
new teachers are well-informed about the AVID program and changes in the
structure/policies at the school site?
• Has the training been enough to support the AVID program? Why or
why not?
Teacher Beliefs and AVID
11. What percentage of teachers at your site believes that all students will attend
college after high school graduation?
• What type of training has the school provided to promote the college
going mission?
12. Do you think the AVID program has been successful in changing teacher’s
perceptions about student achievement and access to college for African-
Americans and Latinos?
• If so, can you specify and give some examples?
Other Relevant Questions
13. Do you believe that the AVID program needs any further improvement? If
so, what are your recommendations?

148
14. Is there anything else you would like to share that would help me better
understand the district goals for reform under the AVID program?

149
APPENDIX C: STUDENT FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS
1. How long have you been in the AVID program?
2. What are your plans after you graduate from Garden View High School?
• Do you plan to attend a two year college or four year university
immediately after you graduate from high school?
3. How does Garden View High School help you prepare for college?
What percentage of students do you think are eligible to attend a four year
university?
• And do you think this percentage is different from those who actually
up enrolling? If so, why?
Are all students prepared to go to college after high school graduation?
• If so, how do you know?
• If not, why?
(i.e. SAT’s, A-G or UC approved courses)
Do you think that all of your teachers believe that you can attend a four year
university after graduating from high school?
• If so, can you give me examples on how they do this?
• If not, can you give me examples on how they do not do this?
4. How does the AVID program help you prepare for college?

150
APPENDIX D: CODES
1. School Culture
2. District Leadership
3. Site Leadership
4. Teacher Leaders
5. Policy Changes
6. Structural Changes
7. Teacher Beliefs about students
8. Teacher Beliefs about AVID
9. Teacher Beliefs on student’s ability to attend college

151
Observation Protocol –School Culture Discussion
Date: School:
Time: Teachers present:
Observation (circle one): AVID Site Team Meeting AVID Elective Class
School Culture Observation List Notes/Comments
Discussion centers around:
• College access and support
College going culture is based on:
Student Activities
Teacher Training
School wide Resources
• Data that support college going rate
• Classroom instruction/environment
• Teaching strategies
• Student assignments
• Other topics (miscellaneous)

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The 1983 publication of A Nation at Risk has prompted many policymakers and educators to reform public schools to ensure that all students have equal access to higher education. As a result of these changes, many school districts across the country have chosen to implement a variety of college outreach programs not only to increase the number of students eligible to attend four year institutions but also to change the academic culture of the school. The context of this issue will be examined under a college preparatory program known as Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) which seeks to increase opportunities for minority or low socioeconomic students to enroll in four year universities by providing both social and academic support in rigorous courses.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Varee, Rosalyn (author)

Core Title Factors contributing to transforming school culture: a case study of the advancement via individual determination program

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 06/26/2008

Defense Date 05/05/2008

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag AVID,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Advisor Datnow, Amanda (committee chair), Conchas, Gilbert Q. (committee member), Melguizo, Tatiana (committee member)

Creator Email varee@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m1297

Unique identifier UC1101510

Identifier etd-Varee-20080626 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-82096 (legacy record id),usctheses-m1297 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-Varee-20080626.pdf

Dmrecord 82096

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Varee, Rosalyn

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Repository Name Libraries, University of Southern California

Repository Location Los Angeles, California

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu