Empirical Research
Exploring the Relationship between AVID Professional Development and Teacher Leadership
Reviewed By Jeffery Huerta, Karen M. Watt, Ersan Alkan
Volume 6 - Issue 1
Jan 9, 2008 - 11:15:53 AM

While the impact of the college preparatory program Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) on student achievement is well documented (Guthrie and Guthrie 2002; Mehan et al. 1996; Slavin and Calderon 2001; Watt, Huerta, and Lozano 2007; Watt et al. 2006; Watt, Yanez, and Cossio 2002), the effect of AVID’s professional development component and its empowerment of teachers to become leaders and key stakeholders in their schools is not as clearly defined. This study examines whether teacher professional development provided to AVID elective teachers affects teacher leadership. Approximately 3,100 teachers from middle schools and high schools implementing, or planning to implement, the AVID program were examined. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine the effect of AVID professional development on teacher leadership. Results indicated a significant positive relationship between AVID professional development and levels of teacher leadership. Demographic characteristics and years of teaching experience were also considered in this study.