Less than half of all Arizona high school graduates go on to enroll in some kind of postsecondary education.
In 2021, the last year for which data are available, the number was around 47%.
Rich Nickel says that’s a problem — and one that involves both the education community and the business one.
Nickel is president and CEO of the nonprofit Education Forward Arizona. He joined The Show to discuss what leaders are doing to increase the number.
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“Many students are dependent on Pell Grants to make education and training after high school affordable,” said Rich Nickel, president and CEO of Education Forward Arizona. “As Arizona continues to increase investments in state-based financial aid programs, it’s critical that Arizona’s students can count on a robust federal Pell Grant …
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“As cost is the No.1 barrier in (getting to college) as told to us by students, we feel pretty good about where Pell grants landed,” Rich Nickel, CEO of Education Forward Arizona said. The nonprofit includes a focus on the Achieve60AZ college attainment goal, which aims to get 60% of working Arizonans a college …