Problem Solving:

Breaking Barriers

AVID program prepares low-income minority kids for college success.

When Claudia Arellano entered high school four years ago, she had her sights set on becoming a hairdresser. "When you are poor and minority, you just want to get through school without too much hassle," says the 18-year-old in heavily accented English. "I came to America from Mexico when I was nine. My parents both work. College was never a consideration."

But this fall, Claudia and hundreds of students like her are enrolling in universities such as Cornell, Pennsylvania State, and, for Claudia, the University of California, Berkeley. Almost all will be the first in their families to attend college.

They are graduates of AVID, Ad-vancement Via Individual Determina-tion, a small but growing initiative in middle and high schools across the country to prepare mainly minority students with mediocre records for the rigors of advanced education.

Since its inception in 1980, 93 percent of the more than 20,000 AVID graduates have gone on to college.

AVID began in 1980 at suburban San Diego's Clairemont High School, after a federal court desegregation order siphoned off half of the all-white student body. Arriving to fill their seats were low-income Latino and African-American students.

Nervous that they might automatically be placed in remedial classes, NEA member Mary Catherine Swanson—then English department chairwoman—created AVID.

"A lot of people thought I was crazy," Swanson says, "but I wanted to prove that with rigor and support, these students could achieve what we teachers expected from our own kids."

She enrolled her first class of 30 AVID students in the school's college preparatory curriculum, and worked with them daily for four years in an hour-long course that offered study skills, tutoring, and moral support. In 1984, 28 of the original 30 graduated and went on to four-year universities.

It's not magic

Twenty years later, AVID has grown to more than 1,000 schools in 16 states.

At Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Georgia, where 98 percent of students are African-American, all of the school's 2001 AVID graduates are now in college. At Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky, only one AVID student didn't go to college.

What's the secret?

"I have no magic to sell," says Swanson, who now leads the national AVID program. "It's the right combination of good teaching and hard work."

But AVID does not enroll random groups of low-income students. Getting in—and staying in—isn't easy.

Teachers and counselors first iden-tify students who fit the typical AVID profile: C average, no behavior problems, and parents who did not graduate from college. The students must show a desire to do better, and their parents must sign a contract agreeing to help.

These are the children AVID has been able to help.

Once accepted, students are placed in a daily AVID class where they are taught, among other things, how to take good notes. College students tutor them at least three periods a week.

"Even a D student who is willing to work hard can be college material," says Swanson. "We're particularly good at helping kids who don't know English well learn it quickly. If a student tells us they are willing to try, we ask them to prove it."

To get into AVID at Atherton High School in Kentucky, students must get teacher recommendations, answer ten essay questions, and interview with a faculty team. Once in, they must keep up their grades, attendance, and behavior.

"It's about pushing the average kid to go further, and not all kids want to be pushed," says Richard Guetig, a science teacher and coordinator for the AVID program there. "The program can also be hard on a student's ego," he adds. "Many go from getting As and Bs in a regular class to getting Cs in advanced placement."

At Georgia's Cedar Grove High School, being in AVID is a source of pride, says Faatimah Muhammad, a science teacher and AVID coordinator. "It's become 'cool' to be smart."

At Mira Mesa High School in San Diego, AVID coordinator Jan Parkinson says, "Many of my students had never been on a college campus, or seen a play. They didn't realize there was more to life than their own neighborhood."

"AVID provides rigor and support," says Swanson. "Rigor without support is a prescription for failure. Support without rigor is a tragic waste of potential."

Finishing college

AVID kids don't only enter college, they graduate. Researchers from Palo Alto's Center for Research and Evaluation in Education found that 84 percent of California's AVID students complete college.

According to the national AVID office, the start-up cost is about $640 per student but falls to $170 by the third year. The money covers teacher training, tutors, and field trips to college campuses and cultural centers.

"This program is not a panacea, but it works," says Georgia's Muhammad. "It gives teachers the framework to help their students succeed. That's what any teacher wants."

—Dina S. Gómez

For More: Visit www.avidcenter.org.

How I Did It

Nancy Beattie
Pierce Middle School
Sixth grade teacher
Redford, Michigan

Middle school students catch on to spelling with a program that goes beyond rote memorization.

After seeing unsuccessful results from the spelling program used in my own class, I wanted to create a program that would work better than just writing and memorizing words in isolation week after week.

I decided to include words students actually read and use in school, and skills important for middle school students to review.

Phonics and spelling rules became the basis for my program. I wanted to help students learn these rules and letter patterns, and recognize them in other words when reading on their own.

Our spelling word list was generated from three areas.

First, it made sense to include words that students hear and read in their classes. So I asked core, exploratory, music, and gym teachers from several districts to send lists of recommended words.

Second, I looked at troublesome words—words children often write yet frequently misspell.

Third, I included words commonly written in middle school.

With these three lists, I was ready to begin.

In every spelling lesson, students practice many skills while writing sentences. For example, we practice compound sentences in lessons 3, 7, 11, and 19. We practice possessives in lessons 2, 8, 12, and 16.

We review 24 skills such as writing prefixes, suffixes, antonyms, synonyms, and dates. Definitions and examples for these skills are on a page called "Writing Reminders" to help promote success in completing the spelling lessons correctly.

For information on Spelling—An Integrated Approach for Middle School, call 248/689-5317 or E-mail bteducationalprog@home.com.

Dilemma:

How do you deal with a class that has spun out of control?

I pull out my cell phone (our class phones don't dial out), call their parents in front of their classmates, and have the students explain their behavior. I make it clear to the parents that I am calling during class. Pulling out the cell phone gets the class silent every time!

Jarrad Grandy
History teacher
Grand Rapids, Michigan

• If the noisiest students are energetic but unaware, I discuss their behavior privately with them and ask them to take a leadership role or work privately on a project. Other students who act out may be disconnected or afraid they'll fail. I arrange for them to come for tutoring or to discuss their interests and goals. A phone call to parents often reveals why usually cooperative students are suddenly out of control: Grandma dying, or parents divorcing, perhaps.
  
• When a whole class won't cooperate, try something different—mix up activities, bring in a visitor, act mysterious. Sometimes, I've asked ninth and tenth graders to spend a few days in class with older students where the younger ones can observe more serious behavior.

Jacque Fitzgerald
High school counselor
Anderson, California

• Every teacher has days when lessons go wrong and 24 angels turn into 24 wild things.
  
• Don't throw up your hands or consider leaving the profession!
  
• Go with the flow. Forget quiet reading and seatwork. Harness that energy into cooperative learning.
  
• Get out chart paper, markers, and paints, and divide students into small groups. Assign them something related to your original lesson. Hopefully, you have used this sort of set-up before, when your class was more tuned in.
  
• Set a time frame to help them focus, and use the remainder of the period for group presentations.
  
• Textbook reading, written questions, or worksheets can be sent home as homework, or saved for a quieter day.

Mary Lea
Second grade teacher
Jefferson, Wisconsin

• When it seems students are about to get "wiggly," I lead them in yoga breathing and postures. After they get used to this, they often request the activity when they aren't able to focus.

Jean Dodge
Resource teacher
El Paso, Texas

• When a class has spun out of control, I look for children who are obeying the rules and praise them, ignoring the rest as much as possible. When you praise young children, they do their best.

Scotty Price
Second grade teacher
Ashburn, Georgia

• I am a substitute teacher. I work in two buildings and I know the children well.
  
• I leave the regular teacher a list of helpful and not-so-helpful students. My students know all about "The List."
  
• When they do something inappropriate, I have a one-on-one and explain why their name is going on the not-so-helpful list.
  
• When they see Mrs. Livermore, they know that everything they do, good or bad, will be revealed.
  
• If the class becomes so unmanageable that students aren't learning, I have them lay their heads down or write. This works because most students don't want to write.

Teresa Livermore
Substitute teacher
Lansing, Michigan

• When a class is out of control, I walk to the board and write a message. It conveys my expectations (sit down, be quiet) and the consequences (detention/staying after class). I make sure one student notices the message and observe as the class follows my direction.

Lisa McGrath Bogolin
Middle school reading teacher
Hedgesville, West Virginia

Got an Answer?

What do you do when you think a student has cheated on an exam?

E-mail your answer to dilemma2@ neatoday.nea.org. Or send by regular mail, or fax to 202/822-7206. Please include your name, city, state, and job title. Published respondents will receive an NEA Today mug!

Arts Across the Curriculum

At a Maryland magnet school, teachers are learning from the prestigious Kennedy Center how to use the arts to teach . . . everything.

It's a safe bet to expect high achievement at the Thomas G. Pullen Creative and Performing Arts Magnet School in Landover, Maryland. But never expect the ordinary.

In any of this K-8 school's classrooms, you might find students acting out a drama, doing a square dance, or painting—even if the subject they're studying is math or science.

Pullen's strategy is to infuse the arts into the teaching of all subjects, and teachers are learning how to do that through Changing Education Through the Arts, a program of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Pullen is one of eight Washington-area schools taking part in A Change of Course, a grant program from The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education that helps to fund this Kennedy Center initiative.

"We studied drama, instrumental and vocal music, dance, and the visual arts," says Judie Strawbridge, who teaches third grade at Pullen.

"Then we took part in group activities to learn how to integrate the arts into everything: language arts, social studies—even math."

Westward expansion and the arts

Strawbridge and several of her colleagues had a chance to put their new skills into action this past school year when Pullen third graders studied the U.S. westward expansion as a social studies assignment.

"This was hard work," says Straw-bridge. "But it made teaching more fun. This was not about kids getting to play instead of doing social studies. Every single detail of the standard social studies curriculum had to be included.

"It was quite a challenge for us, but it came off wonderfully."

Pullen drama teachers had the students write a play about the westward expansion. A music teacher taught them songs and dances of the pioneer period.

"In my class," says Strawbridge, "we made buffalo hides out of paper bags. We also constructed covered wagons and made a wagon train, including all the fine details of what pioneers carried on their trains.

"Then came a language arts element. Each kid had to write a short story or poem about the westward expansion. If it was a story, it had to include all the artistic elements of a story as well as the proper social studies elements. The same with poetry. It had to be artistically correct and historically correct—so the exercise was truly interdisciplinary."

In another project, music teacher Leslie Thomas taught students how orchestration enriches a musical piece, by starting with a melody and adding the orchestration. Then Strawbridge showed them how adverbs and adjectives play a similar role in written communication.

Strawbridge is convinced that the arts-infused approach helps her students learn better.

"It covers every learning style and modality," she says. "Some children are kinesthetic, and learn from movement. Some are more tactile, or verbal, or visual learners. No one was left behind by our method. Every child was touched."

"The teachers work as a team," says Amy Duma, director of professional development for the Kennedy Center.

"First, we help to acquaint them with a variety of artistic forms. Then, we provide them with specific information and challenge them to find ways to impart the information in an artistic, interdisciplinary manner."

Pullen Principal Jan Reed says the school's test scores have been rising since the program began two years ago, and last year, the eighth graders had the highest scores in their county.

"We aren't teaching to the test," she says. "We're teaching in a creative environment that the students love."

—Matt Simon

For more: Visit www.nfie.org to read about grants currently available from The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education. Visit http://kennedy-center.org/education/pdot for more on Changing Education Through the Arts.

How do you respond when students
tell you about family problems?

I find out what bothers them the most and give them coping tools. I try not to take sides. I help them realize the potential for personal growth that the situation presents. I role-play "I" messages with them and encourage them to talk with the other people involved. I teach them deep breathing techniques so they can calm themselves and encourage them to journal about their feelings. Most important, I listen. I can't solve their family problems.

Bonnie Hutchens
Ninth grade social studies teacher
Westminster, Colorado

• Sometimes, all they want is a listening ear. Depending on the problem, I may alert the school nurse about potential dangers. She has good rapport with them and maintains communication with social services.
  
• I can refer concerns to our Student Assistance Program for mental health, drug or alcohol concerns, or at-risk behaviors. I also can contact guidance counselors.
  

Darlene Forsythe
K-12 librarian
Galeton, Pennsylvania

• Early in the year, I talk about "family talk" and "public talk" and how to tell the difference. We explore where it's "safe" to talk about private matters, and where to get help. When a student begins to tell about family problems, I suggest they talk to the guidance counselor or set a time when we can talk privately.
  

Harriet Hardy
Title I reading and math teacher
Gretna, Virginia

I'll never forget a boy who was having trouble getting work done. He said, "My daddy is in jail." I listened to his story about police coming to their home, and tried to assure him it would be worked out. I felt that having someone to share his worry gave the boy some peace of mind.

In junior high, I once found a note from a girl worried that a friend would commit suicide. We set up a conference with the friend, brought feelings out, and offered reassurances.

I never solved the problem for them, and I let them know that some things were out of their control. Bottom line—kids need to know there's someone who cares enough to listen.

Evelyn Tanner
Retired
Kaysville, Utah

• The best way to respond is with an open ear and an open mind. I want students to feel they can trust me, but also to know that if their problems are harmful to them, I'll go to proper authorities. Luckily, the problems I've dealt with haven't resulted in contacting higher authorities.
  
• I try not to talk down to students. I have them find solutions by themselves. Teenagers don't want to be preached to.
  

Melissa Jordan
Eighth-ninth grade
reading teacher
Roselle, New Jersey

• If students talk about something deeply personal, I remind them that there's a valuable resource at school—the counselors.
  
• If they tell me of abuse, I tell them I'll share the information with a counselor. If you don't inform the student that you'll share the information, the student may feel betrayed—and you may be one of the few people that student trusted.
  

Pamela Galus
Tenth-twelfth grade science teacher
Omaha, Nebraska

Got an Answer?

How do you cope with over protective parents?

E-mail your answer to dilemma2@ neatoday.nea.org. Or send by regular mail, or fax to 202/822-7206. Please include your name, city, state, and job title. Published respondents will receive an NEA Today mug!

Idea Exchange

Gold Shoe Award

I'm an elementary physical education teacher with a problem: Children forget their gym shoes on gym days. So I created the gold shoe award. It's kind of like the Stanley Cup. Every two weeks, the class with perfect shoe attendance wins the gold shoe. Now, I don't have half the problems I had before. Some students even call classmates to remind them to bring their shoes.

To make the gold shoe, I painted an old gym shoe and nailed it to a piece of wood cut in the shape of a trophy.

James Myrick
Troy, Michigan
Educational Stickers

Many charities send me address labels, some with neat pictures. There's no way I can use them all. So I cut off the pictures, put them on paper from stickers I've already used, and use them on my students' papers. It takes a little time, but it saves on buying stickers—and it is recycling.

I explain to my second-grade students where the pictures come from, and we discuss other ways to recycle. I also discuss charities I contribute to. It makes an excellent science and social studies lesson.

Colleen Miner
Harlem, Montana
Future Careers

My students are just starting to realize that there's a world beyond their playground, so I try to connect their lives with the world of work on a daily basis. At dismissal, I write "Goodbye, future ___________" on the chalkboard. I fill in the blank with a top-of-the-line profession that requires a college education, leadership skills and lots of training. I hope to encourage them to not settle for entry-level work and to move their imaginations off the typical dream of becoming a professional athlete.

Mary Beth Solano
Timnath, Colorado

Works4Me

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