Ensuring Arizona students are ready for life after school is a strategic priority for AEF.

We accomplish this work through a 4-pronged approach:

State-Level Strategy

AEF is one of three key partners driving statewide adoption of Arizona’s Portrait of a Graduate. A Portraitof a Graduate (POG) is a shared vision for what students should know and who they can become by the time they graduate. It describes the skills, habits, and competencies that prepare learners for enrollment, employment, enlistment / service, and entrepreneurship. It serves as a “north star” that guides instruction and student experiences across a district.

Statewide adoption matters because it gives Arizona a commonlanguage for readiness. When districts, industry, and community partners can name and prioritize the same transferable skills, it becomes easier to align instruction, build consistent expectations across systems, and connect learning to real workforce needs and life outcomes.

Teacher Training

Teachers are the gateway to what students learn and experience in the classroom. Through a variety of professional development opportunities, AEF ensures educators have the training, experiences, and resources they need to be successful is critical. AEF provides numerous pathways for teachers to receive the support they need to implement career exploration into classrooms.

Teacher Pathways

Spheres of Industry

Providing workforce skills-training for teachers and externships

teachSTEM

Providing critical STEM and AI training for educators and administrators. Include AI Guidance for K-12 Schools

Teacher Pipeline Project

Providing emerging educators with workforce skills training in Early Childhood, Literacy, SPED, AI and more

AEF Academy

Providing educators, administrators, parents, and partners with a variety of topics impacting teaching, learning, and support for public education

K-8 Student Programs

AEF has been instrumental in preparing Arizona classrooms for the future. We’ve partnered with the Arizona Department of Education Career and Technical Education department to publish the Arizona Career Literacy Standards as well as the Arizona Institute for Education & the Economy out of Northern Arizona Univeristy to publish the Generative Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education Guidance for Arizona Schools and School Systems. AEF also serves as a partner in reviewing state standards such as the Healthcare Career Exploration standards for grades 6-8 and eCTE Digital Arts, Media, and Entertainment Careers as well as assists with projects such as Arizona’s 3-Year Plan to Grow Middle-School Career Exploration.

A key component of the State 48 Portrait of a Graduate is workforce development and future readiness. AEF is leading the cause in connecting classrooms to industry through professional development offerings and Spheres of Industry which align local portraits of a graduate to workforce needs and teacher externships. Further, teachSTEM Explorers provides career-connected lesson plans for 6-8 classrooms across subject areas.

Partners, Coalitions, Networks

AEF collaborates with numerous partners throughout Arizona, utilizing our own educator and school networks to help ensure career exploration is at the heart of learning.