Getting Arizona vaccinated, bringing students back up to speed academically and keeping the economy open were key tenets of Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s message during his 2021 State of the State address Monday.

The governor called on citizens to continue guarding against the spread of the virus and to work together with “unity, integrity and compassion.”

“In so many ways, 2020 was an extremely tough year that brought out the best in us, and yet, sometimes, despite all, our best wasn’t enough,” the governor said on opening day of the state Legislature. “It’s a vicious virus taking some 10,000 lives in our state alone and it’s left nothing but grief in its path.

“With the vaccine, however, we aim to cut off that path as quickly as possible.”

Ducey said that healthcare workers, teachers and police officers were being vaccinated as he spoke. He announced that State Farm Stadium in Glendale opened Monday as a vaccine site and will continue to be open 24/7 to administer vaccines as they are rolled out in phases according to patient risk. Above all, everyone must continue to take precautions to stop the spread of the deadly virus so the state can return to normal.

“As for our work here, all agree the pandemic remains the most significant threat we face, and it will require vigilant attention for months to come. The risk is still serious, and so is the pressure on our hospitals and medical personnel.”

During the 22-minute speech, Ducey touched on several issues he is focused on for 2021. 

Keep economy open

Arizona already is doing better than the rest of the nation, in part because he didn’t enforce widespread lockdowns, Ducey said. 

“For Americans tired of living in states with high taxes, heavy regulation, low-growth, and fading opportunity, Arizona has become the destination,” Ducey said. “And they’re still coming to Arizona in 2021 because during the pandemic, we never took our small businesses or their workers for granted. 

“As bad as things got, we’re recovering fast. New businesses and residents have been added by the thousands. At this time last year, we were ahead of 45 other states in job creation and personal income growth. Today, we’re still top-five. But some Arizonans are struggling. And it’s got to be our priority to help them with a growing economy and more jobs.”

Proponents of severe lockdowns may be well intentioned but they fail to acknowledge other troubles that come into play with such drastic action, he said. 

“People still have bills to pay. Children in need of schooling. Businesses to run and employees who depend on them. There are lots of men and women who don’t have the option of remote work and don’t receive uninterrupted direct deposits. To make a living they have to show up somewhere.

“If we’re really all in this together, then we have to appreciate that for many families, lockdown spells catastrophe. Zero income. Inability to make a payment. Eviction. Foreclosure. And real personal anguish.”

More resources for education

Ducey emphasized the need to ensure students haven’t fallen behind academically, particularly those of lower socioeconomic means. 

The governor said he will advocate for more resources in the state budget for items like expanded broadband infrastructure and access, more educational choices for parents, longer school days, summer school, one-on-one targeted instruction and tutoring. 

He will bring students back into classrooms as teachers are vaccinated. 

“With every public-health professional, from Dr. Fauci and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) on down, saying that the safest place for kids to be is in school, we will not be funding empty seats or allowing schools to remain in a perpetual state of closure. Children still need to learn, even in a pandemic.”

Lower taxes for all 

Tax reform is needed to find ways to lower taxes on businesses and individuals, the governor said. 

“Every year I’ve been governor, we’ve improved income taxes in the taxpayer’s favor. We’ve simplified the code, lowered all rates, protected them against inflation, and eliminated an entire tax bracket. In all of this, we’ve proven that our government can fulfill every obligation, and answer the unexpected needs of a growing state, without raising taxes.”

Having come this far, Ducey said he has no interest in Arizona following the “depressing example” of other states losing opportunity because they have raised the tax burden

Other issues: Covid liability protection, gaming, smaller state government

In the coming weeks, the governor said he will work with legislators on a variety of goals: protections for businesses and organizations from frivolous lawsuits related to Covid-19, a modernized gaming compact to bring more revenues to tribes and the state, and greater access to telemedicine. 

Other goals mentioned were better roads and bridges, continued leadership on water innovation, better training for law enforcement, criminal justice reform, and wildfire prevention. 

Ducey said shrinking the “footprint of government” also offers cost savings. 

“With remote working by many state employees, we also have the chance to further limit the size, cost and footprint of government,” he said. “Let’s truly shrink government, by eliminating unnecessary state buildings and saving taxpayer dollars, so we can prioritize areas of need, like educating our kids, taking care of our sick, and keeping our neighborhoods safe.”

“Plenty of reasons to cheer”

Business community leaders hailed Ducey’s agenda.

“Today’s speech gave us plenty of reasons to cheer,” Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Glenn Hamer . “The agenda laid out by Gov. Ducey was full of items the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ and job creators look forward to working on with him and legislators from both parties. We share his desire to close academic achievement gaps, to protect parents’ right to choose the best educational environment for their kids, to continue the economic recovery by reforming our tax code to encourage job growth, to prevent plaintiffs attorneys from leveraging the pandemic for financial gain, and to expand broadband, which is essential for our continued economic development and our students and schools.” 

Working together with compassion and integrity 

Moving forward in a bipartisan manner with unity, integrity and compassion is extremely important right now, the governor said. 

So many Arizonans have been true heroes this past year, he said. Everyone must follow their lead.  

“Despite everything 2020 threw at us, in the face of a global pandemic, everyday Arizonans have demonstrated the true state of our state– from our frontline medical workers; teachers, moms and dads; public safety and first responders; small business people; Election Day workers; grocery store employees, and National Guard – we’ve seen heroism, sacrifice, service and acts of kindness, large and small. The state of our state is not only strong – it’s resilient.”

In closing, the governor called on the public to do it’s part: wear a mask, practice personal responsibility.

“With resilience and compassion, we move forward, allowing nothing to get in our way, and showing in the end the best kind of unity there is – the unity of caring about one another.”
For information about how vaccinations are being administered, go to: .

The post Arizona governor calls for “unity, integrity and compassion” in 2021 state of state address appeared first on Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­.

To promote unity and diversity and inspire new leaders who are committed to both, the University of Phoenix (UOPX) is kicking off a free webinar series this week for the general public through its Office of Educational Equity. 

These live forums are meant to create a space to have “crucial conversations” to bring about real change, said Saray Lopez, director of student diversity and inclusion for the office.   

“The reason we want to make these conversations so diverse is because our students are truly diverse. We have more than 56 percent minority students and our students work across different industries so we want to look at how we are serving these students, how we are having these conversations, and how we are educating not only our students and our alumni but our community to actively contribute to a culturally complex society,” Lopez said.

As one of the largest for-profit universities in the United States, the Phoenix-based has a massive network of alliances with professional organizations, associations, councils, commissions, school districts and alumni to affect leadership thought and action.  

“We’re bringing together key individuals that are making a great impact in different spaces that would not technically come together otherwise, to engage in crucial conversations and discuss topics affecting our communities, industries and society at large,” Lopez said.   

Business involvement encouraged 

Ultimately, the goal of the new monthly webinars is to improve equity and inclusion from the classroom to the boardroom, said Lopez, who has been a force for diversity and inclusion in Arizona.    

Lopez earned the 2019 Inclusive Leader Award by the in Phoenix for her work in building stronger relationships between the university and regional community groups, chambers of commerce and employers.

A holistic approach is what works best, she said. Corporate involvement is a key component. Lopez hopes the webinars can inspire employers and organizations to improve diversity through actions in their day-to-day practices, hiring procedures, and approaches to fostering an inclusive culture “because it impacts our key stakeholders which are our students.” 

Panelists are global leaders in equity and organizational change  

The first, entitled: Fostering Unity while Addressing Inequities, is Thursday, June 25 at 11 a.m. and will feature international experts on diversity. 

Among the speakers are Dr. Shawn C. Todd-Boone, of UOPX who has received international recognition for his research and work in community building, community policing, and violence prevention, and Jim Massey, a globally recognized expert on diversity and inclusion and organizational change.

Other panelists are Dr. Linda Groomes Walton, an expert on diversity management who founded Achieving My Purpose, Inc., of Scottsdale, that supports women to discover their life’s purpose; and Dr. Jeff McGee, founder and CEO of Cross-Cultural Dynamics in Mesa that provides diversity and cultural training for companies and organizations. 

The moderator is Dr. Jamal Watson, editor-at-large at Diverse: Issues In Higher Education and professor and director of graduate studies for the Strategic Communication and Public Relations program at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C. 

Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of discussion during the first webinar will be:

·      Systemic racism

·      The role of higher education

·      Allyship and advocacy

·      Leading inclusively in times of crisis

·      Equity and social justice

To register for the free webinar, go to:  

Public input wanted 

The university also is seeking input from the public about topics it wants to be educated on in the monthly webinars, said Tondra Richardson, director of student diversity and inclusion for the Office of Educational Equity. 

“We’re tying the webinar series to what’s going on in our society to provide a means of education for our students, faculty, other DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) practitioners and the general public,” Richardson said. “We’ve designed this around feedback we have received regarding what resources and education people are seeking and we’re pulling leaders both from within the university and other industries to bring that knowledge.”

Anyone interested in sharing a topic they would like to learn more can send an email to: content@phoenix.edu.

The post UOPX kicks off free webinars to inspire equity from classroom to boardroom appeared first on Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­.

K12, Inc., which operates online schools in Arizona and other states, is offering free education tools for parents, teachers, students and schools during COVID-19. 

In fact, anyone can access free curriculum like an interactive reading program, a large digital library and a learning game platform that focuses on math and language skills, said Megan Sandoval, senior vice president of School Services. 

Free online summer school and boot camps are starting soon, too. 

“With school closures happening across the state, we wanted to offer our expertise for anyone who needs it, whether that is whole districts, schools, teachers, or parents,” Sandoval said. “Virtual learning can work. It can be successful and it solves the need to continue education and connection through the current pandemic.”

Free curriculum, summer programs and teacher training

Among the free programs offered for students, parents and teachers are:

Big Universe

This K-12 digital literary solutions program provides access to more than 17,000 leveled eBooks and balanced literacy tools that are available 24/7 on any device. The interactive platform has reading practice opportunities, such as read-alouds, guided reading, interactive writing, writing workshops, and reading workshops. Learn more at: .

Stride

A digital game-based learning program for preschool through 8th grade. Stride includes game-based learning in math, reading, language arts, and science that is accessible 24/7 on tablets, PCs, and Macs. Stride delivers video games as a reward for completing academic tasks. Learn more at: .Ěý

Summer school and boot camps

Through its Destinations Career Academy, K12 is also offering free programs and boot camps for students in 8th through 11th grade starting in June. Middle and high school students can explore high-demand career fields with an online course in business, healthcare, or IT and receive 0.5 high school elective credit. Two, two-week coding boot camps are also being offered free where students get to take part in an eSports tournament. For more information, go to: .Ěý

Free webinars for parents, educators 

To help parents and educators, K12 has put together a collection of webinars and other content to offer teaching and other tips to help anyone transition to a virtual classroom. Learn more at: .

Free online guidance for schools and districts 

With 20 years of online education under its belt, the company also is offering a free month of access for public and private schools and districts to assist them in moving to  virtual teaching and curriculum. 

“Many districts are trying to figure out how to make that transition that we made quite a while ago,” Sandoval said. 

Through its Fuel Education program, K12 offers digital curriculum, technology, instruction, and support directly to school districts. To learn more about the complimentary 30 days to get students and platforms up and running, go to: . 

Pandemic increasing curiosity about remote learning 

Sandoval said that the pandemic has resulted in a flurry of calls from parents, particularly in states like Washington, the first state hit by COVID-19. Since then, it has spread to all 50 states.

“Our enrollment center is getting a lot of calls and they are different than they used to be,” Sandoval said. “The calls very much do reference the pandemic and fears that families have that their students may be getting behind and they are looking for options.”

“Some are hedging their bets — if schools open or not, whether they will go back or not.”

Virtual public schools in Arizona for all students 

For parents in Arizona considering online options for next fall, K12, Inc. operates three virtual tuition-free public schools:

Destinations Career Academy at Insight Academy of Arizona 

For grades 9-12, the online academy combines traditional high school academics with industry-relevant, career-focused electives to give students a jump-start on their college and career goals. While working toward their high school diplomas, students can choose from a variety of courses in high-demand career fields: business and health & human services. Arizona-certified teachers provide live online instruction. Students participate in career-oriented clubs, gain workplace skills, and prepare to take industry-recognized certification exams in their chosen career path upon graduation. 

Arizona Virtual Academy 

This K-12 is geared toward students who perform at or above their grade level and are seeking to be challenged academically. Students in grades 4-12 can combine online learning with a structured classroom environment at six blended learning centers around the state. The staff promotes a positive outlook for the future and provides college and career guidance.

Insight Academy of Arizona 

Insight focuses on students’ academic and personal wellbeing. It serves students in grades 7-12 who are performing below their current grade level, are not on track to graduate, and require social or emotional support. Credit recovery courses, trimester scheduling, and social and emotional learning programs help address students’ academic challenges. Other programs provide support for families. Students can combine online learning with a structured classroom environment at six blended learning centers around the state. Students can also prepare for college or career through guidance services and internships. 

More about K12, Inc.

K12, Inc. offers online learning for students worldwide. The company offers three options: tuition-free online public school, tuition-based online private school, and individual online courses from the K12 curriculum.For more information about K12 the programs it is offering during the pandemic, visit:

The post With campuses closed, online schools offer free education tools appeared first on Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­.