NCT lookup

Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles

Conditions: Adolescent Behavior

Interventions: AVID Intervention

Countries: United States

Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) is a college preparatory program that provides a unique opportunity to determine whether schools can reduce substance use by re-grouping at-risk students with high-performing students, while providing additional academic and emotional support. Operating in 4,837 K-12th grade schools worldwide and across 45 US states, this widely-disseminated program targets students from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education who are currently performing in the academic middle (i.e., a 2.0-3.5 grade point average). AVID removes these students from typical classrooms and exposes them to a peer network in which academic performance and positive social norms are valued. In addition, by strengthening the student/teacher relationship, AVID expands students' networks of supportive adults. For low-income minority students in the academic middle, relatively small investments in prevention might significantly impact their academic and health trajectories. AVID capitalizes on a moment when social networks are in flux-the transition to high school-to shift these students' trajectories. This study is a longitudinal, randomized pilot evaluation of AVID among low-income minority adolescents entering high school, comparing academic performance and drug use, as well as other risky behaviors, over 3 years. Although social networks are hypothesized to have a strong influence on behavior, few studies have tried to re-wire networks to change behaviors. This study will provide a clearer understanding of whether schools can intentionally shape networks and whether these changes can reduce substance use. This study will also explore important mechanistic questions about whether and how AVID changes peer networks and relationships with teachers, whether those changes lead to improvements in academic and behavioral outcomes and, if so, what the relative importance of peer versus adult network changes are.