2:37 p.m., May 21, 2010----University of Delaware junior Katie Strouss is studying to become a teacher. This past winter, Strouss, a Spanish education major, had the opportunity to practice her teaching skills by participating in a program that positively challenges high school students to succeed in school using specialized instruction.

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"I learned to be confident as a teacher because I felt the students growing more confident," said Strouss. "I think the most valuable part of AVID is that it's possible for students to be hands on with their learning, and it's almost always better that way."

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a national program designed to help increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges. The focus is placed on students in the academic middle. These students are encouraged to take difficult courses, like Advanced Placement, and with the help of an AVID tutor, meet and exceed the academic goals for each class.

Six years ago, the Christina School District (Christina) introduced this program at three of its middle schools. In 2008, UD partnered with Christina and began using UD education students as the AVID tutors for the program.

"This program is perfect for young students to learn how to work with their own information and to be secure in finding answers," said Strouss, who participated in the AVID program as a requirement for her EDUC 413 class, Adolescent Development and Educational Psychology. "Students through the AVID program become independent, which is such an important characteristic to have in college."

AVID uses methodology like Cornell note-taking, group collaboration and inquiry skills development to create a college-going culture for students.

The program has grown immensely in the past two years since UD and Christina officially began their partnership. It was first introduced to students in EDUC 419, an education class taught by Shuaib Meacham, associate professor, and Carolina Correa, a supplemental faculty member, both from the School of Education (SOE). Since then, UD faculty and staff, like Rob Grey and John Hartman from the Office of Clinical Studies within the Delaware Center for Teacher Education, Nancy Lavigne and Carol Wong, associate professors, Assistant Professor Elizabeth Pemberton and Doctoral Student Helene Delpéche, all from SOE, have all helped train the more than 315 UD students who have served as tutors in the AVID program.

“The partnership with the University of Delaware is a national model that many school districts would love to replicate," said Donald Patton, co-director of the AVID program in the Christina School District. "Without this partnership, our district could not provide the necessary tutoring required and needed to support our students in the AVID program.”
The UD tutors have worked in seven of Christina's middle and high schools and in two schools in the Brandywine School District. Young students who participate in the program say they recognize the value it adds to their education.

"Over the past two years, I've realized that the tutors help me understand things better than some of my teachers because they are students, too, and face the same struggles in classes," commented one student from Christiana High School.

"The tutors help keep me focused and wanting to learning more in my classes," commented another Christiana High School student. "I really love them coming in."

Nationally, AVID programs have seen high success rates. Since 1990, more than 65,300 AVID students have graduated from high school and planned to attend college.

Currently, UD and Christina are working together to refine the AVID program for students. UD students who take certain sections of EDUC 413 are now required to spend 10 hours outside of class participating as an AVID tutor. In the future, all EDUC 413 students will tutor. With the help of a new training video, tutors go through 30 minutes of AVID training before being placed in a school. While participation in the program is mandatory in the beginning for these UD education students, organizations at UD, like Kappa Delta Pi, have come forward to also serve as volunteers in the AVID program. UD students do also have the option to continue tutoring after they've fulfilled their class requirement.

With this strengthening partnership, Barb Land, AVID coordinator for Christiana High School, says UD tutors have become an invaluable resource for the school's students.

"The University students develop connections with AVID students and motivate them to take responsibility for their work," said Land. "Additionally, the trusting relationships that form allow for an environment in which student and tutor can question each other in order to solve problems. We very much recognize that AVID would not be where it is today without the support of the University of Delaware Tutoring program."

In the end, this program is all about getting middle and high school students to pursue a college education. And for UD student Katie Strouss, she says it's extremely exciting to see the students reach their potential.

"Every high school student should be given the opportunity to continue their studies in college."

Article and photos by Cassandra Kramer