PHOENIX — Starting Monday, Phoenix’s vice mayor will chair the board of a nonprofit that seeks to improve school equity across the country.
Ann O’Brien said the work done by WestEd helps people of all ages and levels reach educational success.
“Lifelong learning is so important today, and we know that best in Phoenix, as we have people who are learning new skills so that they can be prepared for the jobs that the industries like the semiconductor industry are bringing us,” O’Brien told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
Based in San Francisco, WestEd partners with local and federal groups to research education challenges.
Phoenix vice mayor advocating for school equity in Arizona and beyond
O’Brien has been on the board of WestEd since 2018.
She said it improves education by analyzing English learner programs, assessing post-secondary readiness, and studying principal retention rates.
The organization connects these issues to workforce readiness, an area O’Brien said has a major impact on Phoenix.
“Ensuring that our young people are prepared as they step out of high school to either go into our universities or go into two-year programs or certificated programs … is so important,” O’Brien said.
She emphasized the importance of preparing local students for careers created by tech companies setting up shop and expanding in in the Valley.
“Over the next five years, if we don’t have the right workforce, not just Phoenix or Arizona, but our whole country will suffer,” O’Brien said.
Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.
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