It’s Not Easy Being the First, But It’s Worth It!

By Chelsea Jones, Student Support Associate, Center for Student Opportunity, I’m First

If you are a teacher, you are probably in the midst of the college search and selection process frenzy. Writing letters of recommendation. Helping students put together resumes and activities lists. Correcting students and letting them know that it’s “FAFSA,” not “FASFA.”

A good number of your students probably have daily arguments with their parents around the dinner table about which parent’s alma mater they should attend. That’s sort of a cool conversation to have, right? But what about your students who don’t come from a background of their parents having a college degree? How do you think those conversations go? Let me fill you in:

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Top Blogs from 2013

As we prepare to ring in 2014, we want to be sure you don’t miss these great blog posts from 2013. Happy New Year and happy reading!

Retire The Certification Binder - Go Electronic!
By Kristin Lockwood, AVID Teacher and Coordinator, Adams City Middle School

Are you an AVID teacher who has a binder-weight problem? Learn how to help your binder shed pounds electronically!

“I knew in that moment that it was time for a major change—time to retire the binder and move into the 21st Century…”

No Excuse to Fail
By Ben Solomon, Project Manager, AVID Center

Read how Ben Solomon and his site team didn’t give students any excuse to fail.

“Everything changed when we stopped leaving excuses for students to fail. Before that, we were a good school, but that’s what started us moving towards being a great school…”

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The Times Takes on STEM. What Can Higher Ed Do?

By Dr. Lorelle Espinosa

This piece originally appeared on Higher Education Today, a blog by the American Council on Education.

Lorelle Espinosa of ACE’s Center for Policy Research and Strategy looks at The New York Times’ recent series on diversity in STEM education. Dr. Espinosa is a member of the AVID for Higher Education advisory council.

Like many others in the higher education community, I was pleased to see that The New York Times editorial board has taken on the issue of diversity—or the lack thereof—in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as part of a larger education series.

To boil it down: Access to quality education, entrenched stereotypes, stale and uninspired teaching, and a lack of role models are leading reasons why too few girls and minorities study STEM subjects. While a majority of students face perhaps one or two of these barriers, women and minority students often face them simultaneously, especially those from low-income families where educational and other resources are scarce.

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Binder Checks are Coming to Town

by Narcoossee Middle School, Osceola County, Florida

Narcoossee MS College WallYou better watch out
You better prepare
Better not doubt, need to prove that you care
Binder checks are coming to town

She’s checking to see
If they’re nice and they’re neat
Gotta correct my partner’s grade sheet
Binder checks are coming to town

She sees when you are slacking
She knows when you’re a mess
She’s knows when it is time to check
Organized equals less stress

Oh you better watch out
You better take time
Better shake that binder
And your grade will be fine
Binder checks are coming to town.

Oh binder checks are coming to town!

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Four Questions For... Gene I. Maeroff, Education Writer and Leader

By Rob Gira, Executive Vice President, AVID Center

At AVID Center, we are fortunate for our connection to many thought leaders, including our board members. Gene I. Maeroff has been a member of the AVID Center Board of Directors since December 2010. He has done spectacular work in education as a researcher, writer, and leader. Maeroff joined Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1996 as the founding director of the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media.

He is President of the school board in Edison, New Jersey, the former national education correspondent for The New York Times, and was a senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of 15 books, including his latest, Reforming a School System, Reviving a City: The Promise of Say Yes to Education in Syracuse, published this year. Recently, Mr. Maeroff responded to my questions about his work overall, and particularly his new book.

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