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Our Impact

Since our founding, CFA has been committed to bringing Arizonans together to build a stronger and brighter future for our state. Today, as then, the central question before us remains: How can Arizona quickly and continually provide sustained economic prosperity, unmatched quality of life, and meaningful opportunity to the people who live here?

To answer this question, we listen to Arizonans. What matters to them? What are their priorities for the future? What would success look like? With this data guiding us, we provide impartial analyses and collaborative leadership to identify long-term solutions to the most challenging issues of our time. As a self-defined “do tank," we take promising ideas and put them into action to realize our shared vision of success for the future of Arizona.

 

385,000+
students impacted
15,500+
teachers supported with training & development
730+
education leaders supported with training & development
165+
communities engaged
220+
partners engaged
Created a shared statewide agenda based on what matters most to Arizonans, providing the basis for action by leaders and communities
Brought trusted data to communities and leaders in Arizona that advanced data-driven dialogue, decision making, and solution building
Drove innovation and improvement across the education system, training hundreds of school leaders and preparing thousands of students to graduate college and career ready
Strengthened Arizona's talent pipeline and increased educational attainment by designing college and career pathways in partnership with educational institutions and industry
Increased the civic engagement of Arizona's youth in a nationally recognized program of "learning democracy by doing" in Arizona middle and high schools
Increased the economic mobility of adults through innovative career training

Impact by Initiative

Arizona Pathways to Prosperity

  • Impacted 60,000 students in early college pathways at 40+ middle and high school partners in Greater Phoenix, Southern Arizona, and Yuma
  • Enrolled 1,400+ middle and high school students in career-connected pathways
  • Engaged 60+ business and industry partners in pathways design and work-based learning experiences

Arizona Personalized Learning Network

  • Trained and supported 150+ school leaders and teachers to implement, expand, and sustain personalized, competency-based learning, impacting 85,000+ students
  • Contributed to a policy environment in Arizona supportive of next-generation education models that better prepare all students for the demands of the 21st century

Beat the Odds School Leadership Academy

  • Trained 30+ nationally certified BTO Academy trainers
  • Trained more than 370 school leaders across 52 public school districts and charter networks in eight counties, impacting 130,000+ students
  • Designed and launched a research-based BTO Academy coaching model to support school leaders in implementing their knowledge, skills, and action-learning in their schools and districts
  • Created pathways for graduate credit and certification for BTO Academy participants through a significant partnership with Northern Arizona University

Communities at the Center

  • Engaged 50+ Arizona communities in community conversations through data-driven dialogue and deliberation 
  • Engaged 1000+ participants in discussion of the Arizona Progress Meters and hopes for a "stronger and brighter Arizona"
  • Supported 9 city and tribal youth councils in creating community-led solutions
  • Collaborated with 10+ strategic partners in dialogue and action to advance local priorities

Gabe Zimmerman Public Service Awards

  • Recognized 33 public servants from 7 of Arizona’s 15 counties since 2011
  • Brought visibility to the contributions public servants are making to their communities and civic life, working collectively to shape the future of our state

Move On When Ready

  • Engaged 50,000+ students in internationally-benchmarked college-readiness Cambridge International curriculum at 20+ middle and high schools across Arizona
  • Provided 850+ teachers with professional development in student-centered, mastery-based learning

School Participatory Budgeting in Arizona

  • Engaged 75,000 students across 70 campuses in 10+ school districts
  • Registered 6500+ students to vote through Vote Day partnerships with local elections officials and voter engagement organizations
  • Encouraged $455,000 public dollars invested in 65 student-developed school improvement projects
  • Engaged 850+ students in SPB Steering Committees
  • Trained 90+ educators to facilitate & implement SPB at their schools

RetailWorks AZ

  • Upskilled 500+ job seekers and incumbent workers through the National Retail Federation (NRF) Rise Up Credential Retail Industry Fundamentals curriculum, an industry-recognized credential
  • Engaged 20+ Maricopa County retailers in the Retail Employer Network to catalyze changes in upskilling and progressive talent management practices
  • Launched AZRetailCareers.com website to close the knowledge gap about retail careers for job seekers, incumbent workers and workforce development partners, as well as supporting the many displaced retail and hospitality workers during COVID-19