SE Valley Times

In the Gadsden Elementary School District, near Arizona’s border with Mexico, many students face economic challenges and language barriers. Despite these obstacles, the district has made significant strides in high-level math education, with numerous students earning college credits before high school, according to Homero Chavez, director of the early-college program.

Chavez was among a group of educators who convened at Arizona State University (ASU) last week to share best practices and explore how ASU's resources can further support their students. These teachers are part of this year’s ASU Impact Corps, a program under the ASU Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence. The initiative is supported by advanced data tracking at the center, which identifies public high schools whose graduates excel in STEM disciplines at Arizona's three public universities.

The center contacted these schools to learn about their classroom strategies that prepare students for college and career success. Several educators were invited to join the ASU Impact Corps to form a statewide network of mentors sharing resources and best practices, explained Dawn Foley, program manager at the ASU Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence—a collaboration between ASU and Helios Education Foundation.

This marks the second year of the program. This year's cohort recognized 13 teachers and two districts—Gadsden and Chandler Unified—during a three-day retreat. Chandler was commended for its math-focused student success initiative that includes increased teacher training and more college-level courses.

Members of this year's ASU Impact Corps visited Helios Education Foundation to review data visualizations produced by the ASU Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence. “The goal of this event is to bring superstars together to learn from them and for them to learn about the tools that we have at the ASU center,” Foley said. “Ultimately, our goal is to continue to get more students to be successful when they come to us at the university level across the state.”

Educators also visited Phoenix's Helios Decision Theater to understand how data visualizations could aid their work. “We work with these teachers so they can take this back to their communities,” Foley added.

In Gadsden’s initiative, high-performing students are identified as early as fourth grade and offered after-school tutoring along with advanced math coursework. Students in this early-college program also take ACT exams and enroll in courses at Arizona Western College in Yuma.

“We’re enrolling kids as early as sixth grade in pre-calculus,” Chavez noted. Others take algebra and English 101 courses. "We have seen a lot of growth... many kids have graduated with engineering degrees or medical degrees."

One notable achievement involved a student graduating with an associate degree at age 14; another former participant now teaches in Southwest Junior High School's program.

Since 2007, over 3,500 students have taken part in these math courses within what Chavez describes as an evolving system for identifying proficient students. “Every school has kids waiting to be discovered,” he said.

John Morris from Casa Grande Union High School joined Impact Corps due to his extensive experience both academically and professionally in engineering fields. He created a four-year engineering pathway based on his academic background and two decades in automotive manufacturing.

“I bring those things together...to prepare them [students]...for university...and real-world work,” Morris stated. He emphasized providing environments where students feel safe while building confidence through successful projects.

Devin Ditmore from Round Valley High School appreciated learning about available data-visualization resources during his visit with Impact Corps: “There’s tons of data now available where we can really quickly identify problems or areas of need," he said.

Ditmore acknowledged Arizona's educational funding challenges but remained optimistic: "I’ve always felt like we do the most with the least."