Three organizations join forces to help the education gap

Achieve60AZ, College Success Arizona, and Expect More Arizona have joined forces to be one organization. This expanded organization will continue to work statewide with existing partners to help children and adults advance in education and bring awareness to opportunity gaps when it comes to student outcomes.  

The new organization’s name is Education Forward Arizona. We talked with Rich Nickel, President, and CEO, Education Forward Arizona about it all. He said it has been about an 18-month process. They have really thought about how they can bring education forward. 

He explains that the bottom line is that they are now going to be able to coordinate activities. They also will be providing a voice. They made the official transition in February, he said. 

He also explains that they are very “eager” and excited to move education forward in Arizona. We talked about how much discussion they had with stakeholders what they heard. He said they talked to hundred and hundred of individuals around the state.

He said that from talking to everyone, he learned that there is a hunger to have an organization like this. He said it is an organization that can be bold and takes chances. They will be thinking about how to move education forward.

They also heard that people want the state to have a true plan for education, he said. He believes they are getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity “professionally and personally”. He said they will be closing these gaps. 

He also explains that students all over the state need resources to be successful. He said some students will need additional support to be successful. He said to do this they have to identify who these students are. 

They have to think about how to offer additional support to help the students succeed. He said it is really a focus of theirs to close those gaps.