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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 …

Education Forward Arizona, which advocates for education improvements throughout the state, called for the immediate release of all allocated federal funds. It said the funds are not luxuries, but rather essential investments in the future of Arizona’s students. Without them, the organization stated, schools could face hardships that would put …

“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 …