Helios Education Foundation Grants $950K to Education and Workforce Initiative

The Helios Education Foundation awarded a $950,000 grant over two years to the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation’s (the Foundation) education initiative, ElevateEdAZ, to help expand dual enrollment. ElevateEdAZ works to align education to workforce learning pathways with the needs of Arizona’s leading industries. The primary objectives include increasing the number of students enrolled in and completing high-wage, high-demand career pathways, increasing student attainment of industry-recognized credentials and dual enrollment credit, providing more students with work-based learning experiences, and empowering educators to reimagine classroom learning through educator externships.

With the support of the Helios Education Foundation, ElevateEdAZ will expand dual enrollment efforts to build student and parent awareness of the benefits of dual enrollment, identify areas of highest opportunity for dual enrollment, and promote and incentivize teacher certification in areas of highest opportunity.

Dual enrollment allows high school students to earn college credit while in high school. It also provides students an opportunity to accelerate their post-secondary pathway, but access is not equitable. A recent report by Helios Education Foundation found only about a quarter of Arizona high school graduates took at least one dual enrollment course.

“We know from our research that students who take dual enrollment courses are twice as likely to attend college,” said Paul J. Luna, president and CEO of Helios Education Foundation. “This proves there are clear benefits to these college-level courses. It prepares students for the rigorous coursework they’ll face in college and gives them confidence that they’ll succeed.”

The grant awarded by the Helios Education Foundation will allow ElevateEdAZ to expand upon a 2022-2023 school year project with Mesa Public Schools and Phoenix Union High School District, which led to a 40% increase in dual enrollment in the fall of 2022. This grant will help identify and address student barriers to enrollment and provide incentives to teachers to get dual enrollment certified in key courses over the next year with the goal of providing more equitable access to students throughout the state of Arizona.

ElevateEdAZ strives to address student barriers by providing the awareness and support students need to make informed decisions about and access dual enrollment opportunities. Our strategic school district partnerships enable ElevateEdAZ to reach students most in need of support in accessing dual enrollment opportunities while also building a replicable model that can be used to improve secondary education and post-secondary access for all Arizona students.

This grant will also build on the $15.5 million approved in the state budget this past legislative session to expand access to dual enrollment. The Greater Phoenix Chamber and Helios Education Foundation worked to secure this state funding that will help offset the cost of dual enrollment tuition for students from low-income backgrounds.

“By increasing participation in dual enrollment, we aim to increase the number of students completing post-secondary degrees that lead to high-wage, high-skill positions in growing fields,” said Jennifer Mellor, chief innovation officer, Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation. “In doing so, ElevateEdAZ will open doors for Arizona students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. We are proud to partner with the Helios Education Foundation on this important initiative.”