Strategies for College and Career Readiness
Format
Individual Presentation
Location
Ballroom F
Strand #1
Social & Emotional Skills
Strand #2
Academic Achievement & School Leadership
Relevance
Our presentation will include best-practices and strategies that transform instruction and campus culture to support college readiness for all students. These strategies empower students with academic, career, and life skills, including critical thinking, time management, and goal setting behaviors. Participants will learn how high expectations with the right support can allow all students to reach their potential, closing the achievement gap and changing the school climate so all students have the opportunity to succeed.
Brief Program Description
Engage in research-based best practices that may be used immediately with your students to promote college readiness and transform your campus culture. AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) has had great success helping thousands of students, primarily underserved, achieve college dreams. Learn strategies that empower students with academic, career, and life skills, including critical thinking, time management, and goal setting behaviors.
Summary
Participants will leave the presentation with research-based best-practices for increasing college and career readiness for all students. They will discuss ways of improving the belief system, culture, and instructional strategies on their campus, with a focus on teaching academic behaviors and skills using high-engagement strategies that encourage students to develop the habits necessary to be successful in school and life. The presentation will detail ways to cultivate time management and goal-setting behaviors in students, while improving critical thinking by employing Socratic methodologies and strategies for writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading. These instructional strategies can be used on a campus-wide level, to improve learning outcomes for all students. Participants will also learn how they can improve college knowledge on their campus in order to demystify the college enrollment and completion process, especially for first-generation college students and those from traditionally underserved populations. During the presentation, participants will discuss ways to improve campus climate through a supportive campus culture, high expectations, and improved family outreach. School leaders will learn how to address issues of access and equity on their campus, so that all students have the opportunity to be successful in rigorous courses. The presentation explores ways to develop campus-based leadership among teachers and staff, to support ongoing efforts for student achievement and equity, so that the take-home strategies from the presentation can be implemented successfully at the campus level. Participants will learn how high expectations and the proper academic and social support can change students’ academic trajectories, closing the achievement gap!
Evidence
The research-based strategies given during the presentation have been developed and implemented for more the 35 years in schools all across the nation, with a proven track record of increasing college readiness and persistence for traditionally underserved populations of students, especially those who are first generation college students.
Biographical Sketch
Mervin Jenkins has worked as a middle school teacher, high school assistant principal, middle school principal, and central office administrator. He is currently the Eastern Division Assistant Director at AVID Center. Mervin has received numerous accolades for his work in education. He has been twice awarded the Zeta Phi Beta Southeastern Regional Education Award, named Tarheel of the Week in the Raleigh News & Observer, interviewed on NPR (Dick Gordon's: The Story), and honored as Chatham County School Principal of the Year.
Mary Childress is one of AVID Center’s Eastern Division Program Managers. Mary came to AVID after working with the program in Atlanta, GA as an AVID Elective teacher and Site Coordinator. Later she became an AVID District Director. Mary has been in the field of education for more than 15 years.
Keyword Descriptors
college, career, achievement gap, academic behaviors, student engagement, access, equity
Presentation Year
2015
Start Date
3-4-2015 9:45 AM
End Date
3-4-2015 11:00 AM
Recommended Citation
Jenkins, Mervin and Childress, Mary, "Strategies for College and Career Readiness" (2015). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 198.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2015/2015/198
Strategies for College and Career Readiness
Ballroom F
Engage in research-based best practices that may be used immediately with your students to promote college readiness and transform your campus culture. AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) has had great success helping thousands of students, primarily underserved, achieve college dreams. Learn strategies that empower students with academic, career, and life skills, including critical thinking, time management, and goal setting behaviors.
