Education Forward Arizona

The college success services program granted scholarships in 2022 to 218 students, amounting to a total of $1,382,554. Every Education Forward Arizona scholar is allotted a success adviser who serves as a full-time team member. The success services program aims to help students achieve a college degree and guide them toward a successful life after college. Success advisers meet with each scholar in person twice per semester on their respective campus, as well as via phone and virtual means, to help them identify any hindrances to their college Education and to assist them in creating a plan to overcome such obstacles. These obstacles could be related to finances, family support, study habits, housing, emotional and mental health, or other factors. Success advisers offer support and motivation to their scholars, regularly reminding them they were chosen for the scholarship because Education Forward Arizona has faith in their potential and future.the success services program has been running since 2005 and has helped over 800 students graduate through 2022. The six-year graduation rate is 74%, and freshman retention rate is 91%. Most of our students, around 70%, are first-generation college students. Our program outcomes are comparable to those of other state universities in Arizona. Additionally, we hold an annual leadership symposium each january for our scholars. This all-day event allows students to meet and network with peers from other campuses, listen to inspiring speakers, participate in teambuilding activities, and attend workshops focused on preparing for life after college.the Arizona college access network (azcan) college access professional segment currently boasts 1,275 members. Among these, 389 represent k-12 schools, 124 represent school districts, 125 represent universities, 43 represent community colleges, 7 represent technical/trade schools, 44 represent state agencies, and 543 represent a diverse range of college access programs, nonprofits, businesses, and corporations. In 2022, azcan provided 13 professional development modules to 38 professionals. Seven (7) earned certificates as Arizona college access professionals.in 2022, Education Forward Arizona expanded the growth of college readiness teams to 26 high schools as part of the helios Education foundation's college knowing & going initiative (ckg). These teams comprise high school administration, counselors, teachers, americorps members, postsecondary partners, community members, and ckg coordinators who work together to identify strategies to enhance college readiness and access. They also aim to strengthen the college-going culture, which is tailored to meet the unique needs of each community. Thirty-one (31) student ckg ambassadors enrolled in post-secondary institutions in the fall of 2022 and were awarded $2,000 each in scholarships.in its fourth year of operation in 2022, the goal of the adviseaz americorps program is to increase the number of high school students from low-income, first-generation, and minority backgrounds who pursue and complete postsecondary Education through assistance provided by adviseaz members. These advisers are placed in high schools designated as title i and community sites, with locations across Arizona, including tucson, phoenix, and flagstaff, as well as rural areas like yuma, pinal, cochise, gila, mohave, and graham counties. In 2022, sixteen (16) members aided more than 650 students, including service to 89 individual students in ckg schools. The 2022 college enrollment rate for students served by adviseaz members in 2021-22 was 48.6%.another important Education Forward Arizona program is project benjamin, or "ask benji." It is the first chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (ai), designed to help high school seniors pursue higher Education. Ask benji is a chatbot tool that assists students in filling out the free application for federal student aid (fafsa). In the fourth year of project benjamin, ask benji served 47 school districts throughout Arizona, covering 159 high schools and reaching more than 25,000 students. Benji provides personalized nudges, prompts, and information to students across Arizona, including the next steps for fafsa completion, invitations to college readiness events by school, district, or region, and general college-going information. Studies suggest that text-based outreach increased timely enrollment for non-fafsa completers by a statistically significant margin of 20 percentage points.education Forward Arizona is committed to advancing the achieve60az postsecondary attainment goal through ongoing collaboration. This statewide goal aims to have 60% of adults aged 25 to 64 hold a professional certificate or college degree by 2030, which is crucial for the state's future prosperity. The organization serves as a catalyst for collaboration, public awareness, public policy, and data-informed planning and measurement to achieve this goal.throughout 2022, Education Forward Arizona disseminated valuable information via the Education explainer, a nonpartisan resource that aimed to educate individuals on how crucial Education issues impact schools, educators, students, and families. The organization also shared its perspective and how the issues can help increase Education attainment and drive progress toward the Education progress meter goals. Below are the Education explainer topics covered in 2022: - 2022 state of the state: addressing ducey's Education agenda- what's in the governor's proposed fy23 state budget for Education?- aggregate expenditure limit frequently asked questions- Arizona's high school graduation requirements: spotlight on math- what's important to include in a school funding proposal & the impact of sb1269- fy23 budget overview- Arizona school vouchers explained- proposition 308 explained- Education explainer: Arizona's teacher shortageto address Arizona's most pressing Education issues during the 2022 election, Education Forward Arizona and the center for the future of Arizona embarked upon a project to change the narrative during the election season. The two-pronged approach involved creating the Arizona voters' agenda, which highlighted the most important issues for Arizona voters during this election year. Candidates were encouraged to discuss and respond to these priority issues. The project's impacts were evident as candidates for public office addressed the topics most important to the voters and acknowledged the Education issues that could help Arizona students cope and recover from the covid pandemic in public forums. The media also raised awareness about these issues, kept them in front of the candidates, and advocated a positive agenda that prioritized solutions desired by the people.additionally, in 2022, Education Forward Arizona convened Education, business, and community leaders to identify and prioritize the most important steps the state could take to advance the achieve60az attainment goal and the Arizona progress meter indicators. The work began with a set of Education thought leaders and expanded to hundreds of others across the state, including groups of educators and students. More than 300 people were engaged through a dozen convenings and surveys. The community created a shared action plan to drive progress toward the goals.although Education Forward Arizona provides substantial direct services and scholarships to thousands of Arizona students, the organization strives to maintain a low overhead. As a percentage of total expenses, program services and scholarships are 80.2%, admin is 14.7%, and fundraising is 5.1%.