All A’s for Arizona

Before creating the Foundation, Rodel’s founders did research, including engaging dozens of community members in extensive conversations, all in an effort to find out what was needed to improve Arizona’s education landscape. One oft-mentioned item was the need for a “network of champions”—an ongoing group representing diverse sectors of the community who shared a commitment to cultivating a strong foundation for education in Arizona.

In response, Rodel took on the role as a convener and brought together leaders from the business, education, philanthropic and government sectors. Participants agreed with the need to create a framework for improving education in Arizona and picked the working title, “All A’s for Arizona.”

These gatherings provided a unique opportunity to meet, connect and network.

Since 2002, All A’s has hosted bi-annual dinners where timely and lively conversations were encouraged. Topics for discussion were relevant and sometimes controversial with the goal of informing and engaging everyone in the room. For educators, it was opportunity to be with peers and share expertise; for non-educators, it was a chance to meet people on the front lines of education and get real time accounts of what was happening in schools and classrooms.

Given the inflexible schedules of most educators, these gatherings provided a unique opportunity to meet, connect and network. All A’s was one of the few places where educators could actually participate in the discussions about education and their voices elevated and informed the debate.