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“Months ago, Education Forward Arizona joined other experts in predicting that instead of closing the Department of Education, they would begin holding and pulling back some of the education funding,” said Rich Nickel, president and CEO of Education Forward Arizona. “Unfortunately, that is exactly what we are seeing happening now. …

“Student success fuels Arizona’s economy,” said Rich Nickel, President and CEO of Education Forward Arizona. “When more students complete education or training after high school, they earn more, fill in-demand jobs and strengthen local economies. This is especially vital in rural and underserved areas.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                             Contact: ShannonSowbyPR@gmail.com, 602.615.6235Diana Figueroa, dfigueroa@educationforwardarizona.org, 602.206.8572 Feb. 13, 2025 | Arizona has deprioritized education funding through a series of choices by elected leaders over the past two decades. Today, Arizona is more reliant on federal funding than most other states. Arizona’s public schools receive about $2,090 per …

By Rich Nickel and John Fees, Guest Commentary In 2016, seeing the correlation to Arizona’s economic competitiveness, the state set a bipartisan goal for education attainment. Known as Achieve60AZ, the goal calls for 60% of Arizona adults ages 25 to 64 to have a workforce certificate or an associate’s or …

CONTACT: Shannon Sowby, (602) 615-6235ShannonSowbyPR@gmail.com Diana Figueroa, (602) 206-8572dfigueroa@educationforwardarizona.org Education Forward Arizona, as part of its Everything to Gain campaign, unveiled a new poll in an ongoing study regarding the state of attainment of education and training after high school. The results show that Arizonans overwhelmingly support specific policy actions …