Arizona Initiative for Math & Science Education
Quality Education in the 21st Century A Public-Private Collaboration to Prepare Students for Success
Arizona Initiative for Math & Science Education (AZIMASE) is a public-private initiative of Arizona citizens echoing the concerns of a national consensus that the challenge of elevating U.S. achievement in math and science is too large and complex for schools to meet alone. AZIMASE seeks improvement in math and science teaching and learning by bridging and coordinating efforts, encouraging innovation, and discovering pathways that positively impact teacher recruitment, teacher preparation and continued professional development, curricular innovation and the creation of new and expansion of established special programs for both gifted and high-risk students. The Arizona Initiative for Math & Science Education (AZIMASE) began two years ago to heighten the collective focus on preparing the state's students for success and competition in the 21st Century. The ongoing work in pre-K-12 education in science, technology, engineering and math involves the support and growth of teachers, student achievement and workforce development.
There have been a great number of accomplishments and successes in this area. Arizona adopted new Math and Science Standards to better prepare students for college admission and the workforce. Northern Arizona University received a multi-million dollar award from ExxonMobil and the Helios Education Foundation to launch a UTeach program to dramatically increase undergraduate recruitment into math and science teaching, while increasing the retention rate of graduates that has been successfully modeled in Texas. Working jointly in cross-institutional working groups, the three public universities have increased their commitment to science and math education while the business community and economic development organizations increased their focus on education.
The first Arizona Bioscience Education Pipeline Summit attracted more than 100 bioscience teachers who convened to discuss ways to expand and strengthen statewide biotechnology curricula and programs. The summit was a collaborative partnership between the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, the Flinn Foundation, and Mesa Public Schools' Biotechnology Academy, with funding support from Arizona's two largest utilities, SRP and APS.
The 92nd Arizona Town Hall convened more than 160 citizens from across private-public and education sectors to generate the report, "Who Will Teach Our Children?" which includes recommendations relevant to the AZIMASE efforts and agenda. For Arizona to continue to advance the talents of its students and nascent workforce, AZIMASE will convene constituents and convey best practices through seminars and web-based resources on topics relevant to STEM teacher education, STEM youth development, family and parental involvement in educating children in STEM areas and public awareness of the importance and need for an emphasis on 21st-century workforce needs.
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