Arizona Educational Foundation

Now in its 40th year, the aef Arizona teacher of the year program annually selects Arizona's teacher of the year and recognizes an additional fourteen prek-12 public school teachers, all of whom are exceptionally skilled, talented and dedicated. Teacher of the year nominees are public school teachers from across Arizona who have gained the respect and admiration of students, parents, and co-workers. They play an active and useful role in their communities as well as their schools, distinguishing themselves as leaders. The winner of the Arizona teacher of the year award goes on to become Arizona's candidate for national teacher of the year. Aef disburses a total of 40,000 to the top 10 teacher of the year finalists and semifinalists and an additional 250 in amazon gift cards to five honorable mentions. The winner receives 15,000 and other prizes. As Arizona's teacher of the year, this individual travels to Washington d.c. to meet the president of the united states and attends international space camp in huntsville, al, with state teachers of the year from across the nation. The next four runners-up, called "ambassadors for excellence," receive 5,000 each; each of the remaining five semifinalists receives 1,000. The teacher of the year and ambassadors undergo professional speech and media training, giving them the tools necessary to advocate effectively for excellence in education and act as spokespersons for the teaching profession. Combined, the Arizona teacher of the year and ambassadors typically make in excess of 100 presentations during their yearlong tenure. Presentations are made to groups of civic leaders, prospective teachers, current teachers, school boards, school administrators, business leaders, legislators, government leaders, and students. Award-winning teachers serve on statewide task forces, advisory panels and serve as a resource to state education policy-makers. Aef covers substitute teacher costs for these teachers when they are away from their classrooms. Over the past five years, the Arizona Educational Foundation has received over 500 nominations for consideration from urban, suburban, rural school districts. All teacher candidates submit an in-depth application detailing their Educational and professional background, their community involvement, and their philosophy of teaching. Candidates must identify and discuss Educational issues and trends, offer an evaluation of the teaching profession and indicate what their message to the public might be as an advocate for education. Each application is reviewed and scored by a panel of judges consisting of educators and leaders from the business community. From the written applications, the panel selects 15 quarterfinalists. All fifteen engage in a video round, which narrows the selection down to 5 quarterfinalists and 10 semifinalists. The panel then interviews all ten semifinalists and observes them teaching in their classrooms via video recording. The selection process yields the teacher of the year, four ambassadors and five semifinalists. Once the top 5 candidates are identified, aef prepares and produces a short video of each of the 5 candidates, which is shown at the Arizona teacher of the year awards celebration when the winner is announced. The awards ceremony attracts nearly 600 education and corporate leaders, becoming the only statewide event that focuses solely on teachers and celebrates excellence in the teaching profession.

The aef Arizona state spelling bee is administered by aef to determine Arizona's representative in the annual scripps national spelling bee in Washington d.c. spelling bees give students from public, private, charter and home schools an opportunity to utilize their spelling and phonetic skills in a competitive environment and a chance to participate in higher level bees. Spelling bees give students who might not excel in more traditional competitive environments such as sports an opportunity to shine. In fy23, 514,000 Arizona students statewide in grades kindergarten through eight compete in classroom, school, district, and county bees to qualify as one of 28 finalists in the state bee. Aef works year-round with school, district, regional and county coordinators across Arizona to ensure consistency and fairness in determining which 27 spellers will vie for the title of Arizona state spelling bee champion. The winner and chaperone receive an all-expenses paid trip to Washington d.c., so Arizona's champion can compete in the scripps national spelling bee in late spring.

The aef a+ school of excellence program is a comprehensive school recognition program that began 40 years ago. Through the program, aef identifies, recognizes and rewards pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public schools throughout Arizona that demonstrate excellence in every aspect of education: student focus and support; school organization and culture; challenging and viable curriculum; active teaching and learning; professional community; leadership; community partnerships; and assessment. Pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public schools in Arizona that have been in operation for six or more years and received a grade of "a- or "b" from the Arizona department of education are eligible to apply for this prestigious, well-known, and coveted award. The process necessitates that the school complete and submit a 35-to-40-page detailed application, which is read, reviewed and evaluated by a panel of leaders from the education and business communities. Schools whose written applications qualify for it receive a day-and-a-half-long site visit from members of a review committee to determine if the award is warranted. The a+ school of excellence designation is valid for four years, after which time a school must re-apply. Aef conducts informational meetings across Arizona each fall to introduce schools to and acquaint them with the program, give insight on writing a successful application, and encourage schools to apply for the award. In the past five years, 412 schools from throughout the state have applied for consideration of the a+ school of excellence award. Schools use the coveted a+ school distinction as a recruiting tool for new students and civic leaders use it as a way to lure industry to local communities. Since 1991, over 700 schools ranging from urban and suburban schools to rural and smaller community schools to a school located on the navajo reservation have earned the designation. The a+ school of excellence program provides an objective, comprehensive, authentic assessment of applicant schools. Awarded school leaders profess that earning the award enables schools to collaborate with the community they serve in order to articulate, analyze, evaluate, modify and improve every aspect related to the education and care of their students. The process serves as a school improvement plan and a needs assessment tool. The coveted award validates a school's effectiveness, unifies the community, brings positive public attention to successes in public education, and instills a sense of pride in public schools and school districts. Awarded schools encourage fellow educators, parents and businesses to visit their schools; they serve as models of exemplary Educational practices. A+ school of excellence principals have the opportunity to become mentors and coaches to emerging school leaders through aef's principals' leadership academy (see description below).

Teachstem is a workforce readiness program aimed at combating the Arizona stem teacher shortage. The program motivates 9th-12th grade high school students to become stem teachers and also provides teaching resources for educators in grades 5th-8th to infuse classrooms with stem skills by introducing students to a variety of stem careers. Aef pairs an Arizona teacher of the year and other master stem educators with a high school to serve as a stem coach to not only teach students vital stem learning skills, but also work with them on becoming stem teachers. The first time most high school students learn about stem is through a teacher; yet, with stem teacher shortages plaguing almost every high school in Arizona, opportunities for students to learn from and interact with stem educators are growing few and far between. Teachstem is fostering the next generation of stem teachers for Arizona schools. The program also utilizes stem subject matter experts who are guest speakers and talk with students about stem careers. The principals' leadership academy of Arizona (plaa) was launched in september 2008, in response to a strong demand statewide for leadership training programs to prepare the next generation of school leaders in Arizona. With its wealth of expert principals identified through the a+ school of excellence program, aef is well-positioned to formulate and develop a successful academy. Plaa curriculum is grounded in the professional standards for Educational leadership, developed nationally by members of the national policy board for Educational administration and education experts assembled by the council of chief state school officers based in Washington dc. Now in its 16th year, the plaa cohort comprises new and aspiring principals from elementary and secondary public traditional and charter schools. Participants are paired with a+ school of excellence principals who mentor and assist them with developing their leadership skills. Classes are held on seven saturdays throughout the school year. Instruction is a rich blend of practice and theory. Class sessions consist of direct instruction and expert speakers to inform participants on topics such as: community and business involvement in schools; developing and maintaining a positive culture of learning; what outstanding teachers need from their administrators; communication skills; advocating effectively for a school community; and dealing with public policy makers. To date, over 265 school leaders have successfully completed the plaa. Aef collaborates with three other education organizations in Arizona to launch the take your legislator to school program. This initiative identifies award-winning teachers and teacher leaders, pairing them with Arizona state legislators who from the district in which their school is situated. Teacher hosts invite their legislator to shadow them for a day in their classroom. Goals for the program are (a) to give the elected official a glimpse into a day in the life of an Arizona teacher and (b) to formulate and foster a sustainable partnership and understanding between the teacher and the legislator. Since it's inception, the take your legislator to school program has resulted in nearly 426 visits by legislators to teachers' classrooms. It is the hope of aef that eventually all 90 of Arizona's legislators will have a teacher partner, and that 90 visits will occur each year. Our world launched in spring 2021 to provide training to schools, districts, businesses, and nonprofits in equity, diversity, inclusion. It was developed in collaboration with a cohort of Arizona teachers of the year and higher education partners. Our world training provides the tools needed to build culturally inclusive learning and work environments; helps individuals to recognize and combat racism on school, corporate, and nonprofit campuses; and fosters open communication about the issues of bias, race, and social justice. Ultimately, the program seeks to create safe spaces where all stakeholders are involved in creating equitable and just environments. Training is facilitated by master educators, most of whom are Arizona teachers of the year.