This deficit approach is like seeing someone as sick and wanting to give them medicine. Frequently, when educators look at minority students, they think of medicine. When they look at suburban, majority students, they think nourishment. What AVID students need is nourishment. And remedial programs don't work for a lot of other reasons as well.
Remedial programs narrow the range of opportunity for students.
If we create a more mixed, richer environment, kids can see others who have made positive choices. You've discussed the uniqueness of AVID, as far as its development and dissemination. These are 'top down' programs with a 'bottom up' rhetoric. AVID is a 'bottom up' effort done by teachers. We have almost no other successful examples of this.