ElevateEdAZ receives grant to support Accelerated Career Technical Edu

The Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation’s (the Foundation) education initiative, ElevateEdAZ, was awarded a grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the initiative’s work of accelerated career technical education (CTE) pathways in Arizona. This will support ElevateEdAZ’s expansion of accelerated postsecondary pathways to one additional school district and the launch of a consortium of districts working on pathways across the state of Arizona.

Currently, ElevateEdAZ serves 21 schools and impacted over 40,000 students in the 2023/24 school year, and will expand to serve an estimated additional 4,000 students next year.

The expansion to the new district will include two additional Maricopa County high schools. This will enable the Foundation to align additional students with quality work-based learning opportunities and clear pathways to employment, enhancing economic mobility for students from underserved backgrounds.

ElevateEdAZ serves as an intermediary between multiple school districts and industry. To support stronger cross-district collaboration, a consortium of ElevateEdAZ school partners will be created to ensure alignment and the sharing of best practices across districts.

The consortium will collaborate and identify state-wide strategies that need to be addressed. School districts will come together to strategize ways to improve student outcomes, specifically regarding pathway enrollment, early college credit, credential attainment, and work-based learning opportunities.

The consortium will also allow the Foundation to expand the footprint of ElevateEdAZ, to build regional and statewide connections with districts, schools, and the local business community, which can lead to added funding and foster a larger ElevateEdAZ network of districts.

The work of ElevateEdAZ and the Foundation will be significantly accelerated, ultimately broadening the initiative's reach and preparing more students across the state at a younger age to pursue college or career pathways.

"We are grateful for the support in strengthening ElevateEdAZ's position to provide students with accelerated pathways and in creating a robust capacity-building consortium to support the community," said Jennifer Mellor, chief innovation officer of the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation. "This work will ultimately advance the Foundation's mission of convening and catalyzing business, education, and the community to enhance college and career readiness, develop a stronger workforce, and build healthier communities throughout Arizona."