ADVOCATES FOR VALLEY AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS
AVAAS.ORG
ABOUT US
AVAAS FOUNDERS
Top Row: Lyle Jackson, Ramona Smith, Judy Faggins, Reverend Stevens. Middle Row: D.J. Stevens, Melinda Lewis (President Emeritus), Gwen Gatson-Long.
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.
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 underserved, 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
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 underserved, 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