EDUCATION
• Provide free, quality public K-16 education for all, per the Arizona Constitution .
• End publicly-funded for-profit charter and private schools, Empowerment Scholarship
Accounts, and other workarounds.
• Make charter schools as accountable as public schools, with a focus on civil-rights
accountability.
• Increase Arizona teacher salaries to at least the median salary level of our nation’s top 10
states for teacher pay.
• Restore the state’s full K-16 capital-improvement school funding.
• Develop free preschool and daycare programs for low-income families and provide universal all-day kindergarten.
• Prohibit donor and political influence on public school, charter school, college and university
curricula.
• Reduce K-3 class sizes to less than 18 and reduce other class sizes to optimize learning.
• Eliminate third-grade standardized testing, minimize standardized testing in all grades, and
allow opt-outs.
• Fund and support trade schools and technical training.
• Abolish English-only standards. Promote culturally responsive, culturally relevant, and
multilingual education, and cultural competence
• Fully fund the Arizona Financial Aid Trust Fund.
• Institute science-based, age-appropriate sex education programs.
Arizona budget revenues currently project a $5.3 billion budget. This is a great opportunity! Let’s fully fund public education here in Arizona. The current funding formula should be redistributed immediately.
Access, equality in education part of discussion at ASU+GSV Summit
The Arizona Association of School Business Officials (AASBO) is a professional organization; providing support and professional development opportunities for individuals in the field of education who provide management and services in accounting, finance, budget, food and nutrition, technology, maintenance and facilities, pupil transportation, and other support service operations. As a non-profit 501c (3) organization, founded in 1954, AASBO is recognized by the educational community as the primary source of accurate, objective business and operations information, educating its diverse membership and constituency in professional best practices, and promoting the highest standards in school business administration through a multitude of benefits for every member. AASBO is dedicated to improving the skills of its members to ensure that the educational needs of Arizona’s school children are best served.
SEL Framework
Using the CASEL framework, Arizona’s SEL Competencies support a systemic approach that emphasizes the importance of establishing equitable learning environments and coordinating practices across four key settings: classrooms, schools, homes, and communities.
Five Core Competencies
Self-awareness: The ability to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts.
Self-management: The ability to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations.
Responsible Decision-Making: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations.
Relationship Skills: The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups.
Social Awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts.
TRiO at Pima Community College are a set of federally-funded college opportunity programs that motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of a college degree. These programs are funded by the US Department of Education which serve both students who are already enrolled at Pima and local pre-college students.
Arizona GEAR UP helps middle and high school students prepare for college and succeed in life beyond high school. A robust Arizona depends on a well-educated workforce, and we believe every Arizona child deserves equal access to higher education. But, there’s a lot of work ahead of us. Students living in low-income and under-served communities don’t receive the same access, and inequities grow.
Arizona at a glance:
Currently, only 45% of Arizonans complete some type of higher education.
Today, 65% of jobs require training after high school.
Nearly 25% of Arizona’s children live below the poverty line.
People with a bachelor’s degree earn 75% more than those with a high school diploma.
The goal of Arizona GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) centers on leveling the playing field for all students.
Arizona GEAR UP will increase:
Academic performance and college preparation.
High school graduation and college enrollment rates.
Educational expectations for students and increase college knowledge for students and families.
Since grant funding began in 2000, we’ve helped increase graduation rates, built capacity in targeted schools, helped create a college-going culture, and increased the college-going rate among Arizona youth. More than 15,000 students benefited from Arizona GEAR UP in the past two decades.
In 2019, the U.S. Department of Education awarded a six-year, $32 million grant to Northern Arizona University to administer Arizona GEAR UP. Thousands of Arizona students will receive services. Like previous grants, local community partners provide services and resources to meet the grant goals and provide a dollar-for-dollar match.
During this grant, we’ll focus on the 5E’s of Equity:
Engage communities, educators, students, and families.
Empower every sector with the knowledge and tools to overcome systemic inequities.
Help create rigorous learning environments where students excel.
Elevate expectations for high school graduation and college attainment.
Enrich the communities, schools, and families to create a strong and sustainable college-going culture.
The Arizona Broadband Development Grant Program (ABDG) will enable local communities to construct or improve broadband infrastructure. The historic investment will build on the progress of recent years and strengthen communities’ capacity and competitiveness for economic growth. The ABDG is intended to bridge the digital divide and enhance the connectivity for Arizona’s citizens, businesses, healthcare institutions, government establishments, and education sector.
Grants will serve both rural and urban parts of the state, and will reimburse costs associated with activities directly related to the construction, installation, or improvement of broadband infrastructure. Eligible applicants will include broadband service providers, local governments, Native American tribes, schools, libraries and more.
IBEST Programs
Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (IBEST) is a nationally recognized instructional model that boosts students’ basic skills in reading, writing and math while they pursue a certificate in a career/technical program.
Through IBEST, students can enroll in credit classes and work on attaining their career/technical certificate and their High School Equivalency at the same time. Those with their high school diplomas are encouraged to join IBEST as well; they too benefit from the additional instructional time, wrap-around support systems, and team atmosphere that IBEST provides.