ADVOCATES FOR VALLEY AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS

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About Us  
The mission of Advocates for Valley African American Students (AVAAS), based on the Blueprint for Action, Educating African American Children, is to advocate for the achievement of our students in order to bring about an awareness of the unique challenges facing them, and to promote and demand successful educational programs that meet their unique needs while monitoring their progress.


AVAAS FOUNDERS
 
Top Row:  Lyle Jackson, Ramona Smith, Judy Faggins, Reverend Stevens.  Middle Row:  D.J. Stevens, Melinda Lewis (President Emeritus), Gwen Gatson-Long.  Bottom Row:  Sheri Osborne and Leah Brackins.
 
About Us
Our organization is comprised of volunteer parents, of San Fernando Valley African American  students, actively involved in the education of our children. Collectively, our leadership roles cover a broad spectrum, from classroom helpers, Parent Center Directors, School Site Council members, and district level committee chairs.
 
Background

On February 10, 1998, we held our first meeting to discuss our common concern: The failure of our children to succeed in the Los Angeles Unified School District.  With assistance  from Dr. Lawrence Moore and Gene McCallum we came together.  We determined that our greatest effectiveness laid in focusing on San Fernando Valley African American Children, an under served, ignored population which languishes under the misguided perception that Valley school are “The Best” schools where all children receive a quality education, including African American children. The statistics incontrovertibly reveal that African American children in the Valley continue to perform at the lowest academic levels. 
 

Goal

Our goal is to bring African American student achievement into the norm by empowering parents and students by:

 

  •  Advocating and providing support for the implementation of programs that meet the educational needs of African American Children
  •  
    AVAAS Intervention Program
  •  Providing opportunities for learning about and understanding African American culture that stems from African History
  •  Advocating for competent teachers with effective teaching skills and ability to meet the educational needs of African American Children