Excellence as the Expectation: Creating a campus where opportunity, rigor, and support thrive

Renee Kory brings 25 years of experience in education, having served as a teacher, mentor, curriculum specialist, assistant principal, and principal. For the past 11 years, she has led Kyrene Aprende Middle School, where her commitment to equity and student achievement has helped shape a strong AVID culture. Under her leadership, the school implemented AVID Schoolwide in 2017, earned recognition as a Site of Distinction in 2019, and became an AVID National Demonstration School in 2022. In 2025, Kory was honored as a finalist for the AVID Global Achievement Award for Secondary Principal of the Year.  

How has being part of the AVID community strengthened you as a leader?   

Being a part of the AVID community means not only receiving top-notch, relevant, and engaging professional development—from APLMs to Showcases and Summer Institutes, it also provides a network of like-minded colleagues and leaders who are committed to AVID’s mission and vision and the excellence that comes with that. In addition, from a school leadership perspective, AVID is always elevating our performance, creating an environment that is in a constant cycle of school improvement and finding ways to best meet the needs of students and educators. As a leader, that cultivates my capacity to provide opportunity and empowerment on a daily basis! 

What has been key to successfully implementing AVID in your school? 

AVID has transformed our school campus and is the foundation of everything that we do.  Since AVID is the driver and the expectation, all other programs and initiatives are seen through an AVID lens. In addition, our team leaders are AVID leaders on campus, and they have autonomy to make instructional and logistical decisions for their teams, while also delivering tailored APLMs based on the needs of their teachers and students. Having AVID teacher leaders provide mentorship to other teachers elevates performance for both and, ultimately, our entire campus. Monthly APLMs, daily peer walk-throughs to see AVID in action, a strong Site Team, and high expectations for implementation are the key to our success. All decisions are made with AVID as the foundation. 

What impact has AVID had on your school community—from staff to students?   

AVID provides a framework and philosophy that encourages strong, consistent implementation of uniform instructional strategies paired with high-quality professional development and support from teacher leaders, administration, and our AVID Coordinator.  These tools and opportunities have created an environment of excellence for teachers, elevating their “game” while also providing consistency across grade levels and content.  As a result, teachers are empowered to perform at high levels, and the school environment is one of support, positive risk-taking, and a family atmosphere, leading to low levels of staff turnover. High-quality instruction and teachers who provide opportunity, high expectations, and a culture of relationship building and support have led to high levels of student success—academically, socially, and behaviorally. AVID has positively impacted every aspect of our school community and culture and has created an environment of excellence, community, and innovation.