Public and Political
Will-Building
Helios Education Foundation recognizes that in order to realize true education reform in Arizona, we must increase the awareness and understanding of the public and of political leaders about the increasing student achievement gap, especially among Latino students, and its impact on Arizona’s prosperity. To this end, Helios is investing in initiatives that build public and political will around shared goals that improve student performance and attainment and that rally support for educational quality and access, especially in high-poverty, Latino communities. The Foundation’s partnerships with Expect More Arizona, PBS affiliate KAET in Phoenix and the Arizona Mayor’s Education Roundtable are contributing to a more knowledgeable and engaged public who can become advocates for education reform.
Expect More Arizona
Helios’ investment of more than $5 million in Expect More Arizona is helping this organization engage more parents, families, students and voters in championing a world-class education for all students. Through public and political will-building strategies, Expect More Arizona is working with a network of more than 172 organizations statewide to advocate that every child has access to great teachers and principals, has access to high quality early learning opportunities, is proficient in reading and math by the end of third grade, graduates high school prepared for college or career and has the opportunity to attain a degree, credential or industry certification.
Expect More Arizona is working with a network of more than 172 organizations statewide to build an education-first culture and champion a world-class education for all students.
Arizona Education – In Partnership with KAET, a PBS Affiliate Station
As part of raising community awareness of the need for every student to be prepared to succeed in college and career, Helios is partnering with KAET on a series of education-focused stories called Arizona Education. The stories explore education issues across the entire continuum, from birth through career, and have included segments on the academic achievement gap, early language and literacy development and school accountability. These stories are followed by an engaging panel discussion from community leaders about the challenges and solutions in education. Raising public awareness by facilitating a more in-depth community dialogue about the education challenges facing all students, but especially Latino students in Arizona, and identifying solutions is helping build an informed community that can advocate for reforms that ensure that every student, regardless of zip code, receives a high- quality education.
Helios is partnering with KAET on a series of education-focused stories called Arizona Education.
Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable
The role of elected leaders in public and political will building is critical. Their voice, leadership and decision-making power can provide a lasting impact on the education system in Arizona. Helios has made a $250,000 investment in the Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable to develop a statewide partnership for the advancement of mayoral participation in education across the state.
The Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable gives mayors, who typically have limited opportunities to become involved in their public schools, the chance to share ideas, learn from more experienced peers and experts, and participate in new, place-based convenings and discussions among mayors, their staff, urban superintendents, school district leadership and community members.
The initial framework of the Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable is a focus on getting all students to be college and career ready. The Roundtable is working to better understand the impact of dropouts and disconnected youth on local and state economies. This data will help individual communities develop strategies to ensure more students are graduating high school and moving toward some form of postsecondary education.
