Arizona Educational Foundation Inc.

“A copy of the 990 will be provided to the board of directors prior to submission.”

“The board of directors consistently reviews the bylaws particularly as it relates to the conflict of interest policy (article x). If there is a conflict of interest, the conflicted party recuses himself or herself.”

“The executive director compensation is determined annually at the board of directors retreat by all the trustees. It is based on goals that are predetermined by the executive committee.”

“The governing documents are available to the public upon request.”

“Board members volunteer their time helping with set-up, registration, lunch, etc., at the aef spelling bee and teacher of the year. Board members also make presentations at a+ school of excellence award ceremonies. Educators volunteer their time as judges for the a+ school of excellence program, the arizona teacher of the year program and the polly rosenbaum writing contest. Principals of a+ schools mentor new and aspiring principals through aef's principals' leadership academy.”

“Aef launched a new program called 'teachstem." aef's teachstem initiative is a groundbreaking program designed to address arizona's critical stem teacher shortage by motivating high school students to pursue teaching degrees in stem. Teachstem is a partnership between aef and the arizona department of education's educators rising arizona, a career and technical student organization dedicated to ensuring that the future is full of high quality educators starting in high school. According to educators rising research, 60% of all high school teachers work less than 20 miles from where they attended high school. Teachstem has the potential to not only inspire students to become stem teachers, but to return to their own communities as educators.”

“Now in its 36th year, the aef teacher of the year program annually selects arizona's teacher of the year and recognizes an additional nine prek-12 public school teachers, all of whom are exceptionally skilled, talented and dedicated. Teacher of the year nominees are public school teachers from across arizona who have gained the respect and admiration of students, parents, and co-workers. They play an active and useful role in their communities as well as their schools, distinguishing themselves as leaders. The winner of the arizona teacher of the year award goes on to become arizona's candidate for national teacher of the year. Aef disburses a total of 40,000 to the top 10 teacher of the year finalists. The winner receives 15,000 and other prizes. As arizona's teacher of the year, he or she travels to washington d.c. To meet the president of the united states and attends international space camp in huntsville, al, with state teachers of the year from across the nation. The next four runners-up, called "ambassadors for excellence," receive 5,000 each; each of the remaining five finalists receives 1,000. The teacher of the year and ambassadors undergo professional speech and storytelling training, giving them the tools necessary to advocate effectively for excellence in education and act as spokespersons for the teaching profession. Combined, the arizona teacher of the year and ambassadors typically make in excess of 100 presentations during their yearlong tenure. Presentations are made to groups of civic leaders, prospective teachers, current teachers, school boards, school administrators, business leaders, legislators, government leaders, and students. Award-winning teachers serve on statewide task forces, advisory panels and serve as a resource to state education policy- makers. Aef covers substitute teacher costs for these teachers when they are away from their classrooms. Over the past five years, the arizona educational foundation has received over 300 applications for consideration from urban, suburban, rural and native american reservation teachers. All teacher candidates submit an in-depth application detailing their educational and professional background, their community involvement, and their philosophy of teaching. Candidates must identify and discuss educational issues and trends, offer an evaluation of the teaching profession and indicate what their message to the public might be as an advocate for education. Each application is reviewed and scored by a panel of judges consisting of educators and leaders from the business community. From the written applications, the panel selects 10 finalists. The panel then interviews the finalists, observes them teaching in their classrooms via video recording, and selects the teacher of the year, four ambassadors and five semifinalists. Once the top 5 candidates are identified, aef prepares and produces a short video of each of the 5 candidates, which is shown at the november awards luncheon when the winner is announced. The awards luncheon attracts nearly 600 education and corporate leaders, becoming the only statewide event that focuses solely on teachers and celebrates excellence in the teaching profession.”

“The aef a+ school of excellence program is a comprehensive school recognition program that began 36 years ago. Through the program, the arizona educational foundation (aef) identifies, recognizes and rewards pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public schools throughout arizona that demonstrate excellence in every aspect of education: student focus and support; school organization and culture; challenging and viable curriculum; active teaching and learning; professional community; leadership; community partnerships; and assessment. Pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public schools in arizona that have been in operation for six or more years and received a grade of "a- or "b" from the arizona department of education are eligible to apply for this prestigious, well- known, and coveted award. The process necessitates that the school complete and submit a 35-to-40-page detailed application, which is read, reviewed and evaluated by a panel of leaders from the education and business communities. Schools whose written applications qualify for it receive a day-and-a-half-long site visit from members of a review committee to determine if the award is warranted. The a+ school of excellence designation is valid for three and a half years after which time a school must re-apply. Aef conducts informational meetings across arizona each fall to introduce schools to and acquaint them with the program, give insight on writing a successful application, and encourage schools to apply for the award. In the past five years, 247 schools from throughout the state have applied for consideration of the a+ school of excellence award. Schools use the coveted a+ school distinction as a recruiting tool for new students and civic leaders use it as a way to lure industry to local communities. Since 1991, 589 schools ranging from urban and suburban schools to rural and smaller community schools to a school located on the navajo reservation have earned the designation. The a+ school of excellence program provides an objective, comprehensive, authentic assessment of applicant schools. Awarded school leaders profess that earning the award enables schools to collaborate with the community they serve in order to articulate, analyze, evaluate, modify and improve every aspect related to the education and care of their students. The process serves as a school improvement plan and a needs assessment tool. The coveted award validates a school's effectiveness, unifies the community, brings positive public attention to successes in public education, and instills a sense of pride in public schools and school districts. Awarded schools encourage fellow educators, parents and businesses to visit their schools; they serve as models of exemplary educational practices. A+ school of excellence principals have the opportunity to become mentors and coaches to emerging school leaders through aef's principals' leadership academy (see description below).”

“The aef arizona state spelling bee is administered by aef to determine arizona's representative in the annual scripps national spelling bee in washington d.c. Spelling bees give students from public, private, charter and home schools an opportunity to utilize their spelling and phonetic skills in a competitive environment and a chance to participate in higher level bees. Spelling bees give students who might not excel in more traditional competitive environments such as sports an opportunity to shine. More than 500,000 students statewide in grades kindergarten through eight compete in classroom, school, district, and county bees to qualify as one of 27 finalists in the state bee. Aef works year-round with school, district, regional and county coordinators across arizona to ensure consistency and fairness in determining which 27 spellers will vie for the title of arizona state spelling bee champion. Aef's state spelling bee takes place at eight/arizona pbs and is televised on public television stations throughout arizona. The winner and chaperone receive an all- expenses paid trip to washington d.c., so arizona's champion can compete in the scripps national spelling bee in late spring.”

“Teachstem is aef's newest program. Aimed at combating the arizona stem teacher shortage, this program motivates high school students to become stem teachers. Aef pairs an arizona teacher of the year with a high school to serve as a stem coach to not only teach students vital stem learning skills, but also work with them on becoming stem teachers. The first time most high school students learn about stem is through a teacher; yet, with stem teacher shortages plaguing almost every high school in arizona, opportunities for students to learn from and interact with stem educators are growing few and far between. Teachstem is fostering the next generation of stem teachers for arizona schools. The program also utilizes stem subject matter experts who are guest speakers and talk with students about stem careers. The principals' leadership academy of arizona (plaa) was launched in september 2008, in response to a strong demand statewide for leadership training programs to prepare the next generation of school leaders in arizona. With its wealth of expert principals identified through the a+ school of excellence program and its partnership with argosy university/phoenix, aef is well-positioned to formulate and develop a successful academy. Plaa curriculum is grounded in the professional standards for educational leaders 2015, developed nationally by members of the npbea (national policy board for educational administration) and education experts assembled by the council of chief state school officers based in washington dc. Now in its 12th year, the plaa cohort comprises new and aspiring principals from elementary and secondary public traditional and charter schools. Participants are paired with a+ school of excellence principals who mentor and assist them with developing their leadership skills. Classes are held on seven saturdays throughout the school year. Instruction is a rich blend of practice and theory. Class sessions consist of direct instruction and expert speakers to inform participants on topics such as: community and business involvement in schools; developing and maintaining a positive culture of learning; what outstanding teachers need from their administrators; communication skills; advocating effectively for a school community; and dealing with public policy makers. To date, over 200 school leaders have successfully completed the plaa. The polly rosenbaum writing contest is named for polly rosenbaum, a former arizona state representative and teacher who believed arizona's young people are the state's greatest asset. The contest promotes creative writing skills for students in grades 7 - 12. Each year a different topic is selected on which students must write their entries. The contest is divided into three categories: 7th & 8th graders; 9th and 10th graders; and 11th and 12th graders. A panel of business, education and community leaders evaluates the entries based on relevance to the theme, creativity, and writing skills. First, second and third place winners are chosen in each category. These nine winners and guests are invited to lunch at the state capitol on statehood day in february where they are recognized by top state officials. Winners read their entries in a designated location at the capitol. This creative writing contest provides hundreds of students with an objective, authentic assessment of their writing skills. Students whose essays are chosen for their exceptional creative writing skills have an opportunity to meet state leaders, be publicly recognized for their achievements, and visit the state capitol. In the fall of 2014, aef collaborated with three other education organizations in arizona to launch the take your legislator to school program. This initiative identifies award-winning teachers and teacher leaders, pairing them with arizona state legislators who from the district in which their school is situated. Teacher hosts invite their legislator to shadow them for a day in their classroom. Goals for”