Advancement Via Individual Determination

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a non-profit organization that provides professional learning for educators to close opportunity gaps and improve college and career readiness for elementary, middle and high school students, especially those traditionally underrepresented in higher education. AVID's College and Career Readiness System had its start at the secondary level, with elective classes and work in elementary schools and college campuses.^[1][2]

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)

Founded	1980
Founder	Mary Catherine Swanson
Founded at	San Diego, California, U.S.
Focus	College and career readiness
Headquarters	San Diego, California
Area served	United States; Department of Defense Education Activity; U.S. Virgin Islands; Canada; Australia
President and Chief Executive Officer	Thuan Nguyen
Website	https://www.avid.org/

Since 2022, Thuan Nguyen is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).^[3][4][5]

AVID Center

AVID Center is a course that school districts and college campuses can contract with to provide learning, curriculum, and support services. Districts and campuses decide which parts of the AVID College and Career Readiness System will best serve their needs. AVID Center has offices in San Diego and Dallas.

History

AVID began in 1980 at Clairemont High School in San Diego, US. Founded by English teacher Mary Catherine Swanson^[6]. The first elective class had 32 students. AVID now serves more than 2 million students in more than 7,500 schools in 47 US states and 16 countries. Swanson’s work received national recognition in 2001 when she was named one of ''TIME'' magazine’s “America’s Best Teachers” and received the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education.^[7]

Implementation

AVID is implemented via school–district partnerships that provide an AVID elective and embed instructional strategies (often summarized as WICOR—Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading) across content areas. The U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) describes AVID as a framework to strengthen organization, study skills, and access to rigorous coursework in participating schools.^[8][9]

Products and Programs

AVID offers a variety of instructional resources and professional learning programs intended to strengthen college and career readiness in participating schools. Its offerings include classroom frameworks, digital learning tools, and educator development pathways that focus on writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading (WICOR) as core skills for academic success.

• AVID Excel (for multilingual learners/long-term English learners) is described by implementing districts as building academic language and supporting access to rigorous coursework.^[10]
• Student summer offerings and school-year professional learning associated with AVID are documented by university credit partnerships connected to AVID Summer Institute (see Events).^[11]

Events

AVID’s professional learning calendar includes national, regional, and virtual events:

• Summer Institute (SI) – a multi-city professional learning event for school and district teams; independent providers confirm graduate credit options tied to SI participation. ^[12][13]
• National Conference (NatCon) – an annual gathering of educators and students; school news coverage documents student keynote/speaking roles and attendance by “thousands of educators.^[14]

Impact, Research, and Evaluations

Independent reviews and peer-reviewed studies report positive findings in its impact to student performance:

• The U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse lists AVID and has reviewed individual studies, including a 2020 quasi-experimental evaluation (n≈10,397) that found statistically significant positive effects on high-school graduation and immediate college enrollment (meets standards with reservations). ^[15][16]
• A 2020 study in the ''Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness'' reported favorable associations between AVID participation and high school and postsecondary outcomes, along with cost estimates.^[17]
• A multisite randomized trial published in ''Pediatrics'' found AVID participation during the transition to high school was associated with healthier peer networks, lower stress (for boys), and stronger school engagement.^[18]

Leadership

As of 2025, AVID’s chief executive officer is Thuan Nguyen; independent interviews and profiles discuss organizational strategy and professional learning priorities. ^[19][20]