ARIZONA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC

Description

We know that amazing things happen in Arizona public schools everyday. We celebrate the amazing educators, staff, and administrators that make that happen as well as cultivate equity through accessible training and mentoring for current and future leaders within public education.

The Arizona Educational Foundation (AEF(r)) was founded in 1983 by then Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Carolyn Warner who believed that public schools were often unfairly cast in a negative light, despite being able to accomplish great things against seemingly insurmountable odds. She appealed to two longtime business leaders and friends, William "Bill" Shover (then Director of Community Relations for the Arizona Republic) and Eddie Basha (then President of the grocery store chain Bashas’) to help her start an organization that would celebrate excellence in public education and provide programs to support schools on a path to excellence. From the brilliant mind of Carolyn Warner and the generosity of Shover and Basha, the Arizona Educational Foundation was born.

Today, AEF oversees the A+ School of Excellence Award program, Arizona Spelling Bee, AEF Arizona Teacher of the Year Awards, Our World training and development, AEF Principals Leadership Academy of Arizona, Take Your Legislator to School, and teachSTEM initiative. Our programs celebrate and cultivate educators and teams throughout the entire state of Arizona to ensure a bright future for Arizona public education.