Arizona Personalized Learning Network from Center for the Future of Arizona Expands with ‘Explore’ Initiative

Center for the Future of Arizona proudly unveils Explore, a new professional learning opportunity within the Arizona Personalized Learning Network. Tailored for educators driven to transform their classrooms through personalized learning which places the success of each student at the center of education, Explore offers a suite of free, on-demand online modules and curated professional learning resources. These self-paced resources empower educators to take control of their professional growth, catalyze instructional improvement, and champion the transformation of Arizona's education landscape. 

Through Explore, educators will develop foundational knowledge of personalized, competency-based learning and how to shift traditional teaching and learning practices to benefit students and teachers. A shift Arizonans agree upon, according to the Gallup Arizona Survey, 75 percent of Arizonans support giving schools the flexibility to tailor learning to each child.  

Arizonans want and need improved educational outcomes. As of 2022, only 48 percent of working-age Arizonans possess a two-year Associate degree or higher, indicating significant gaps in post-secondary readiness, according to the Arizona Education Progress Meter. Personalized, competency-based learning emerges as a solution, diverging from the antiquated "one-size-fits-all" approach to education that aligns today with the demands of tomorrow. 

Principal A.J. Malis of Ampitheater High School in Tucson and an Arizona Personalized Learning Network participant echoes this sentiment, “We’re actually finding ways to tap into students’ individual talent, not the individual education part, but their individual strengths. Now, they’re blossoming and growing at a much faster rate.” 

Arizona also grapples with educator retention challenges, underscored by the Governor’s Education Retention Task Force convened in December 2023. To address this, the Task Force recommends the expansion of innovative teaching and learning models, recognizing their ability to increase effectiveness and job satisfaction. Explore is an opportunity to implement this Task Force recommendation.  

“There’s an appetite for high-quality and research-based professional learning for educators. Explore meets that demand creating accessible professional learning that aligns with the state’s overall goals for education and The Arizona We Want”, says Peter Boyle, Senior Director of Education at Center for the Future of Arizona.  

Registration for Explore is now open and free to all educators through ASU Prep Digital Training. Register or log in to an existing account, then locate Explore under the "Explore our Courses" section. Join fellow educators in transforming classrooms and shaping the future of Arizona's education.