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In early July, Gov. Ducey signed the most expansive school choice bill in the country, offering $6,500 to families per year, per student for private schooling, home education, micro schooling, tutoring, or any other educational services that meet student needs outside of the public school system. 

Arizona has a long history of being a national leader when it comes to school choice and parental empowerment. Now, experts say that Arizona鈥檚 innovative approach to school choice not only provides parents with immediate solutions and students with new opportunities鈥攊t will greatly enhance workforce development. 

According to Jenny Clark, member of the Arizona State Board of Education and Founder/Executive Director of 鈥� a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families explore school options 鈥� school choice will have a substantial impact on Arizona鈥檚 economy by creating a more skilled workforce and, in turn, augmenting job productivity.

鈥淪chool choice is improving Arizona鈥檚 economy by providing students with unique, flexible and individualized options that help them to learn their very best. The ESA is leading to a more high-powered workforce that values innovation,鈥� said Clark, 鈥渨hat鈥檚 more, the immediate solutions that the ESA provides, relieves parents of stress and boosts overall job productivity.鈥�

Emily Anne Gullickson, a lawyer, former teacher and current President and CEO of A for Arizona and Great Leaders Strong Schools mentioned that recent Arizona laws which give public district and public charter schools more flexibility in developing new models and programs prove that parents are hungry for change. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e positioning Arizona at the forefront of the 21st century economy by redesigning and reimagining what education looks like. By being innovative and rigorously honest with the state of workforce development, we are providing students with learning opportunities that fit their exact needs,鈥� said Gullickson.  

鈥淲e are seeing more educators and business leaders cross collaborate. Leaders are coaching each other and partnering with one another to challenge students in a wide range of subjects,鈥� explained Gullickson, 鈥渓eading industry experts and instructors are equipping students with skills that can only be learned through experiential learning. These partnerships are revolutionizing the way we develop a highly skilled workforce.鈥�

According to Clark and Gullickson, the northstar of all school choice programs is sustainability 鈥� mentoring and empowering the next generation of community and global leaders through a holistic approach. 

鈥淪chool choice provides students with options and opportunities with a holistic impact,鈥� said Clark. 鈥淭hese programs are really exciting parents because their kids are being introduced to new careers and are developing new skills daily.鈥�

鈥淔or example, with the ESA program, my kids can attend a Phoenix woodworking school once a week, taught by an expert general contractor with over 30 years of experience, to learn how to use sophisticated equipment and build complex, everyday goods. These skills are universal and are applicable to their daily lives, not just business,鈥� Clark added.

This culture change revolving around education is inspiring new entrepreneurs and education start-ups to expand or relocate in Arizona. Clark emphasizes that more education options increase school quality and makes educational institutions more accountable to parents. 

Gullickson highlights that new learning modalities offering safe, secure learning environments can deliver game-changing results. More specifically, skill modalities created by inspired entrepreneurs revolving around innovative technology have become an important lever for Arizona students, especially in rural areas. 

鈥�40% of entrepreneurial leaders in Arizona are rural business owners and most apply for grants. We have Southern Arizona specific grants since they鈥檝e become visionaries in educational opportunities such as establishing STEM hubs,鈥� said Gullickson, 鈥渨e have seen collaborative learning hubs at the Boys and Girls Club in Nogales and Vail Micro schools have partnered with their local Chamber of Commerce to provide students with more accessible learning experiences.鈥� 

Both Clark and Gullickson also emphasized that more actionable entrepreneurs have been migrating to Arizona to provide more education opportunities for students.

For instance, , a full-service digital learning platform which balances insights from machine learning and expert human interaction to assess how students learn best then connect those students with specialists to best help them with their learning, has recently expanded to Arizona to help families with their educational needs.

鈥淲e鈥檙e an ambitious start-up serving customers on the nexus between technological advancement and educational services,鈥� said Letha McLaren, Learnfully CEO and Co-Founder, 鈥淲e aren鈥檛 just a problem identifier, we connect students with solutions and instructional support fit specifically to their needs.鈥� 

For Learnfully, school choice accelerated the opportunity to bring their services to Arizona.

鈥淪chool choice in Arizona has given our company the chance to bring our expertise to help families who would not have been able to otherwise,鈥� said McLaren.

And the company is making a big impact on the Valley by providing foundational learning and fundamental skill development opportunities centered around improving executive functioning, social and emotional skills to a diverse clientele base. 

鈥淥nly 60% of learners have a diagnosed learning difference diagnosis at Learnfully, which means that whether diagnosed or not鈥攖here are countless more learners that require personalized education support,鈥� said McLaren, 鈥渆very child is different and it鈥檚 important to us that we provide the best possible services that fit every child鈥檚 distinct needs.鈥� 

Both Gullickson and Clark say this has a ripple effect on the economy. School choice options inspire not only entrepreneurs looking to enter the educational services industry but also other industries like transportation and infrastructure as the state tries to answer other complex questions like when and where students learn best.