Arizona’s Growing Education System

State’s growing education system one of the best.

It will offer something for everyone, just as in the state of Arizona, a myriad of educational choices abound.

Arizona has one of the largest community college districts in the United States. There are more than 1,300 public elementary and secondary schools, including the nation’s largest number of charter schools. There’s also a higher-education system with universities serving every part of the state.

Education in Arizona is booming (Arizona Department of Education).

“Arizona is blessed with one of the most efficient systems of higher education in the country, with three universities, each having broad but well-defined missions, and a community college system that is vast and well-respected,” said Milton Glick, executive vice president and provost at ASU.

The competition continues at the community college level where numerous colleges vie for adults who want to go back to school, workers who need additional training and students who want to take the basics at a community college before seeking admission to a university.

The state’s largest university, ASU, serves as a cornerstone of research and educational opportunity in the Valley. “As the Valley creates more high level and high tech jobs,” Glick said, “ASU, as the only comprehensive university in the metro area, is committed to its responsibility to provide an educated workforce to meet that growing demand.”

College Saving Plans

Gifted youth test college life

Summer is here and school is out, but not for some of Arizona’s brightest middle school students.

More than 80 eighth- and ninth-grade students are still busy at work this July, scribbling notes during classes at Arizona State University. The students are participating in a three-week program run by the honors college at ASU, the Barrett Summer Scholars. The program is designed to give students from around the state a sample of college life at ASU.

The students take college-style classes taught by professors, such as biology, digital animation, engineering and a course in literature and philosophy. They even get to stay in the dorms, which is Mesa student Shadia Zeineddine’s favorite part.

“It’s like really being in college,” the 14-year-old Desert Ridge High School student said. “Being away from home, having a roommate and being independent – it’s really a neat experience.”

Students from all corners of the state – from Bullhead City to Tucson to Kingman – participate in the program, now in its second year. It was expanded this year because of increased interest from students and parents. There is also a one-week program for seventh-graders.

To participate, students must score in the top 3 percent on a state-approved test to identify gifted students, complete an application and get teacher recommendations. During the three-week session, students choose one of three classes offered in the morning, then participate in a literature discussion class in the afternoon called the Human Event, which is modeled after a course that freshman honors students can take at ASU.

“It’s really a great way to get the kids interested in what they might want to study in a few years,” said engineering professor Seth Wilk, who volunteers for the program. Teachers fight back the inevitable learning fatigue with a variety of hands-on experiments and field trips every Friday.

In one class, students dissected a computer model of an iPod and then recreated it as a 3-D model. The same class is taking a field trip this week to the Google office in Tempe.

After class, the students get to eat at the campus dining halls, relax and visit with friends. But somewhat to their disappointment, they have a 10 p.m. curfew and some studying to do for a final exam.

“Yeah, those parts stink a little,” Shadia said.

By David Biscobing, East Valley Tribune