In 1999 Dr. Doris Alvarez became the founding Principal/Director of The Preuss School UCSD, an innovative 6-12 charter school on the campus of the University of California. The school serves low-income students who have the motivation and desire to attend college and whose parents did not attend a four year college or university. Under her leadership the school prospered with high test scores and record numbers of students being accepted to prestigious colleges and universities. The school was named the sixth best high school in the nation by U.S. News and World Report in 2008. Dr. Alvarez retired in 2008. Previously, she was the principal of Herbert Hoover High School in San Diego where she was responsible for the implementation of major reforms in her school and community. In 1991, Dr. Alvarez developed the Hoover Health and Social Services Center, the first facility of its kind in the county and today a national model for other school-based centers. Established with the support of alumni and community leaders and administered by Children's Hospital, the Center continues to provide general medical and dental services, health education, and peer and nutrition counseling today. Dr. Alvarez's efforts at Hoover resulted in a marked decrease in student dropout rates. She implemented such reforms as providing alternative ways for students to meet graduation requirements, including night school and after-school and Saturday programs and creating a more personalized environment through restructuring of the school day. Dr. Alvarez's distinguished educational career includes being named National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals in 1997.
