While some progress was made toward Arizona student success this legislative session, it was not adequate to meet the needs of our workforce demands and the state’s education system. It is time to move the dialogue beyond politics to point out that Arizona is at a crossroads. We have an opportunity to meet the moment by building a seamless education system that supports the state’s economic growth and sustains the ongoing creation of high-skill, high-wage jobs filled by Arizonans for decades to come. To do so, we simply have to agree that such an education and training system—where all students and working-age adults are beneficiaries—is our shared goal and that our current competitive education and training marketplace leaves too many working-age Arizonans on the side of the road.
Last year, Education Forward Arizona conducted a series of invaluable public opinion polls which demonstrated that even during the rancor of an election year, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all agreed that more needed to be done to reach the state’s bipartisan Achieve60AZ postsecondary attainment goal. The goal was created in 2016 by a collaboration among business and education leaders and aims for at least 60 percent of working-age Arizonans to have some postsecondary degree or workforce certification by 2030. Research by Education Forward Arizona and Helios Education Foundation shows that by increasing postsecondary attainment by 20 percent, Arizona stands to gain over $5 billion in annual revenue. At a time when budget shortfalls threaten not only education but all facets of life in Arizona, the Achieve60AZ goal presents an urgent—and accessible—rallying cry.
In 2023, the Greater Phoenix Chamber joined other business and education leaders to encourage Arizona to take the bold step of allocating $15.5 million to expand dual enrollment programs. Dual enrollment increases, by two times, the likelihood that Arizona high school students will enroll in postsecondary education. The program supported in 2023 included $1,000 bonuses for high school teachers who became certified to teach college-level courses in Arizona high schools, helping to fill the gap of certified educators in Arizona schools. Investing in dual enrollment is not only helpful for low-income students seeking affordable pathways to higher education – it is also a win for all students who have dual enrollment-certified teachers, whether those students are enrolled in college credit or not, because of the training those teachers receive. Governor Hobbs recently allocated $1.5 million to support dual enrollment, and while no additional funding was added by the Legislature this year, interest in these programs continues to grow indicating that Arizona has a promising opportunity to build on this momentum.
Common success measurements across public, private, and semi-private charter schools need to be established to reduce fraud and put the focus back on student success. Arizona’s education system functions too much like a marketplace where students and families are winners and losers instead of an ecosystem where all students, regardless of zip code, are pushed toward success. Even if the preference is a marketplace to an ecosystem, consider that robust competitive markets, in any context, are strengthened when consumers have access to information about all of their choices, not just a subset. So, whether it’s progressing towards an ecosystem or just improving the marketplace, the current state of measurement data does not serve students, their families, and taxpayers. Shared data and even enforcement will help us take a significant step towards not only that goal but also producing reports and dashboards that will advance data-informed strategies to better support students.
Demand for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs is rapidly rising, especially those that include work-based learning experiences like internships. These programs depend on strong industry partnerships to deliver the hands-on skills essential in today’s job market. At the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation, we’re seeing this trend firsthand through the growth of our education initiative, ElevateEdAZ, which collaborates with high schools to strengthen CTE programs that lead to high-wage, high-demand careers. As Arizona’s workforce evolves in an AI-driven economy, expanding CTE will be critical — offering both students and adults resilient career pathways and viable alternatives to traditional four-year degrees.
We know that meeting Arizona’s education and workforce needs is a goal that all stakeholders share. But Arizona needs a clear, cohesive vision that unites what are currently fragmented efforts. To us, this represents a perfect example of why increasing attainment requires urgency because the need for more high-skill labor in Arizona is no longer on the horizon; it’s here. We’re confident in the foundations that exist in our state to produce the candidates needed for those jobs, but we must embrace a problem-solving mindset now.
Matthew Pittinsky, Ph.D., is the former CEO of Parchment and co-founder and former CEO of Blackboard Inc. He is a visiting scholar at Arizona State University and holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Columbia University. Pittinsky is also a member of the Scottsdale Unified Governing Board in Arizona.
Todd Sanders has been the president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber since 2009. Under his leadership, the Chamber has launched initiatives focusing on economic development, workforce development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs to support businesses in the region.