Education is the Key to Arizona’s Future. It’s Time to Expect More.
We want the best future for our students. In today’s world, that means that our students must be able to compete with the best across the nation and around the world. We need to raise the bar for Arizona’s educational rigor and attainment. Since research tells us that 85% of quality jobs in Arizona will require some form of post-secondary education (advanced professional training, associate’s or bachelor’s degree), high school can no longer be the finish line if we want our students to have the greatest options and opportunities in life. Let’s set a new goal together: All Arizona’s students will graduate high school ready and able to attain a post-secondary education.
While there are many bright spots, we haven’t made enough progress at a systemic level. Today, Arizona’s students are falling behind their national and international peers in academic achievement, high school graduation rates and postsecondary degree attainment.
Did You Know?
- 66% of Kindergarten teachers say their students are not prepared when they started school.
- 22% of Arizona’s students do not graduate from high school on time.
- 53% of Arizona’s graduates do not qualify to enroll in our state’s public universities.
- 59% of Arizona students that attend a community college require remediation.
- 85% of high-growth, high-wage jobs in Arizona will require some form of higher education and work experience, while only 35% of Arizona’s working adults hold an associate’s degree or greater.
(Sources)
We know that we can do better.
Ensuring every Arizona student has access to the highest quality education – from birth through career – will take all of us. We must expect more of Arizona’s parents, to make sure our students are learning in the home, from the earliest years on. We must expect more of our students, so they understand their education and future success is in their hands. We must expect more of our schools, where educators must constantly strive to improve their practice. We must expect more of our community and business leaders, our elected leaders, and our communities across the state, understanding that higher expectations for education will lead to a stronger Arizona and quality of life for us all.
It’s up to all of us to raise the bar, expecting more from ourselves and taking ownership for the role we can each play. It begins with understanding where we are, so we can envision where we need to go. Sign up at the top right of this page to join Expect More Arizona in the movement to make Arizona education the best in the nation.
Sources
66% of Kindergarten teachers say their students are not prepared when they started school.
(http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/11/06/Teachers-Many-not-ready-for-kindergarten/UPI-74881320633511/#ixzz23TLWRBc0)
22% of Arizona’s students do not graduate from high school on time. (2011 Four Year Grad Rate Data. Arizona Department of Education. 2012.
(http://www.azed.gov/research-evaluation/graduation-rates/)
53% of Arizona’s graduates do not qualify to enroll in our state’s public universities.
(ABOR. Arizona High School Eligibility Study. 2009.)
59% of Arizona students that attend a community college require remediation. (Complete College America. 2011.
(http://www.completecollege.org/docs/Arizona.pdf)
85% of high-growth, high-wage jobs in Arizona will require some form of higher education and work experience, while only 35% of Arizona’s working adults hold an associate’s degree or greater.
(From Education to Work: Is Arizona Prepared? The Alignment Project Report. Public Works. 2006. http://www.helios.org/uploads/docs/AZAlignmentReport_Final.pdf. National Center for Higher Education Management Systems Information Center. ACS Educational Attainment by Degree-Level and Age-Group (American Community Survey): Percent of Adults 25 to 64 with an Associates Degree or Higher – 2010. http://higheredinfo.org/dbrowser/?level=nation&mode=map&state=0&submeasure=244)
