HISTORY

From January 2020 through June of 2025, Early Academic Outreach had received temporary funding from the University of Arizona and the Arizona Board of Regents to partner with K-12 schools and community partners to build upon the college-going culture in the greater Phoenix area.  In particular, a small team worked with schools serving 6th-10th grade students to determine their need for college access education.  This team developed workshops that were facilitated over zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic and most recently were facilitated in-person via classroom presentations. Funding for Strategic Statewide Outreach ceased at the end of June 2025, but former staff were adamant that they hoped educators would find use in the workshops that had been developed to sustain and widen the impact that the team had on over 75 schools across Arizona.

WORKSHOPS FOR 6th THROUGH 10th GRADE STUDENTS 

 The following 7 workshops were developed:

• High School Readiness/College 101: A workshop for students to learn about the fundamentals of college readiness.
• Learning to Learn: An introductory workshop on how to learn effectively. Students will discover different learning styles and how to implement the suggested study habits.
• Involvement and Leadership: Students will discover how campus and community involvement are important aspects of professional development.
• Going Above and Beyond: This is an introductory workshop regarding the different types of accelerated courses typically offered in High School.
• Career Exploration: Students will engage in activities designed for major and career exploration.
• Paying For College: An introductory workshop to help students discover how to pay for college with the help of financial aid. May be most appropriate for 9th and 10th grade.
• Scholarships: An introductory workshop to help students gain an understanding about scholarships. May be most appropriate for 9th and 10th grade.

An 8th workshop was developed to provide families of 6th -10th graders an overview of college readiness in a 1.5-2.0 hour time frame.

If you are interested in receiving an orientation to these workshops and related materials, please reach out to us at 520-626-2300.  While we do not have the funding or staffing to continue to facilitate these workshops, we hope these workshops and materials will support educators as they continue to prepare students and families for college.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

We are grateful to the community partners that we have been fortunate to partner with to increase college access.  These partners may be a great resource as educators across the state continue to work to build upon Arizona's college-going culture.

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