Students and staff at New Tech High School, Bryan Adams High School, and Thomas J. Rusk Middle School are among a small percentage of schools nationwide recognized for exemplifying a college-going culture.
Bryan Adams High School was officially validated as National Demonstration Schools by AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), and New Tech High School and Rusk Middle School were successfully revalidated.
Bryan Adams High School Principal Ryan Bott addressed students and staff thanking their longtime efforts and dedication toward this honorary milestone.
“I want to thank all the people who have come before us, the seniors, our wonderful principal over the last five years Mr. Richard Kastl, and our awesome teachers,” said Bott. “They are the ones who really laid that great foundation to what this is now.”
The AVID Program provides an academic foundation and instills higher-level thinking for students who do not have the opportunity to be college-ready but possess a desire and willingness to work hard.
Thomas J. Rusk Middle School Principal Juan Cordoba recognizes the positive change AVID has brought since becoming a national demonstration site in 2010.
“AVID has strengthened our students’ confidence, academic strengths, and successful collaborative skills,” Cordoba said. “Our students’ vision of themselves now include future goals motivated by our post-secondary experiences on and off campus.”
In order for a campus to become an AVID Demonstration School, they must undergo a rigorous certification process that includes classroom observations, screenings, review of data and embedded AVID best practices schoolwide, which can take years to complete. Bryan Adams High School is one of the oldest campuses in Dallas ISD who has had AVID with a total of 14 years, since 2005. While AVID is implemented in more than 6,000 schools across the nation, only three percent are named a demonstration school.
These schools represent what a successful AVID site looks like; they have opened their doors for educators nationwide to learn top practices from their campus culture while experiencing the effective integration of AVID’s student-centered curriculum.
Woodrow Wilson High School and Alex Spence Talented and Gifted Academy will be adding the AVID system to their campus for 2019-2020.
