Supported by the AZ Department of Education and the APS Foundation, ASAP is a grassroots effort to enhance and accelerate STEM activities in schools across Arizona. It provides vital funding and guidance to schools and professional development organizations, increasing their ability to foster engagement, update curricula, and acquire materials needed to improve STEM education for Arizona’s youth and young adults.
Learn More About the Program
Arizona currently ranks last in almost every major education category. We rank 48th in PreK-12 education, and 49th for the lowest graduation rate. Along with other educational deficiencies, there is a serious lack of STEM Education across the state. In the 2021-2022 school year, Arizona had 1 high school physics teacher for every 2,158 students, and statistics show that Arizona high school students enroll in upper-level science classes at only half the national average.
ASAP has sought to change that. Having impacted over 247,000 students over just two years of our program, and provided millions in funding to STEM teachers across the state, AZ STEM has begun to flourish. By providing support to teachers, the keystone species in a STEM education ecosystem, schools, communities, and students have been widely impacted. Over 2,000 STEM Lessons have been created through our program, as well as nearly 900 STEM projects hosted by our Fellows, who together have attended nearly 35,000 hours of Professional Development. STEM Education is changing for the better - but it needs our continued support.
Throughout the history of the ASAP Program we continue to be recognized as a leader in accelerating STEM Education opportunities across Arizona, and have received a number of recognitions to date! Our program has...
From every county in Arizona, over the past several years ASAP Fellows had paved the way in STEM education. They have had access to a broad range of professional development opportunities and continue to contribute to an ever-growing Lesson Plan Database.
There are currently a number of opportunities available to either fund, support, or provide professional development to Arizona Educators! Listed below are a number of them, many of which are provided by our PD Partners!
For 4th–12th grade educators of all experience levels.
Join the Arizona Educational Foundation in the Cox Innovation Lab for an exciting, hands-on training in classroom 'maritime' robotics & logistics. Using LEGO Spike Prime Robots, participants will explore effective ways to integrate robotics into their curriculum. The training covers essential engineering and coding skills across Science, Computer Science, Educational Technology, Literacy, and Math. This day is designed to be platform-independent and the framework is directly transferable to VEX IQ, Edison, Sphero, or any block-based robotics system.
📅 Saturday, April 25 | 8:30am–3:30pm
📍 Cox Innovation Lab, Arizona Educational Foundation
326 E. Coronado Rd., Ste. 207, Phoenix, AZ 85004
✅ Free to attend
✅ Breakfast, lunch, snacks & drinks provided
✅ Robotics giveaways included
✅ Platform-independent — works with VEX IQ, Edison, Sphero & more
Questions? Email: Jonathan@azedfoundation.org
For 4th–12th grade educators.
Join Canyon Professional Development for a hands-on, full-day workshop focused on Human & Biological Systems — Biofuels. Teachers will work with industry-level equipment, develop classroom-ready lesson plans, and explore how to bring Naval Science & Technology concepts into their STEM instruction.
📅 Saturday, April 25 | 📍 Paradise Valley, Phoenix
✅ Free to attend
✅ Classroom-ready materials provided
✅ Spots are limited — 25 teachers only
Facilitated by Marni Landry, Grand Canyon University
For K–12 educators in the Tuba City region.
Northern Arizona University invites educators to a full-day
professional development session introducing Model-Based Inquiry
(MBI) as a framework for teaching complex Earth system phenomena
related to weather, ocean systems, and space.
Participants will explore how students engage in scientific
practices to develop, test, and refine models explaining
atmospheric circulation, ocean currents, and Earth–space
interactions. Using phenomena such as extreme weather events and
ocean–atmosphere interactions, educators will leave with practical
strategies for engaging students in modeling complex systems and
incorporating real-world data into instruction.
📅 Saturday, April 25📍 Tuba City, AZ
✅ Free to attend
✅ Spots limited — 20 teachers max
Questions? Email: ron.gray@nau.edu
For 4th–12th grade educators.
Join Canyon Professional Development for a full-day workshop focused on Cybersecurity & C5ISR Technology — Hacking Simulations. Teachers will gain hands-on experience with cybersecurity concepts, work alongside experts to build lesson plans, and connect students to real-world technology and defense career pathways.
📅 Saturday, May 2 | 📍 GCU Campus, Phoenix
✅ Free to attend
✅ Classroom-ready materials provided
✅ Spots are limited — 40 teachers only
Facilitated by Marni Landry, Grand Canyon University
For All K–12 educators.
MicroSpark is a hands-on professional development workshop introducing teachers to microelectronics and semiconductor technologies — one of Arizona's fastest-growing industries. Participants will gain classroom-ready lesson ideas, hear from industry and university speakers, and explore how to connect students to real-world STEM career pathways.
📅 Thursday, May 7 | 9am–3pm
📍 Pima JTED Bridges Campus, 3300 S Park Ave, Tucson, AZ 85713
✅ Free to attend
✅ PD Certificates provided
✅ Spots are limited
For K–12 educators of all experience levels.
Join the Arizona Educational Foundation for a hands-on STEM workshop
focused on Information Dominance & Sensors — exploring how electronic
sensors gather and visualize data, and how communication technologies
are being modernized.
Naval S&T Focus Areas covered:
C5ISR/Naval Space | Artificial Intelligence | Ocean, Atmosphere & Space
📅 Date TBA — Summer 2026
📍 Lake Havasu, AZ
✅ Free to attend
✅ Spots limited — 25 teachers max
Questions? Email: Jonathan@azedfoundation.org
The Arizona Department Of Education wants to help teachers ‘Get Set For STEM!’ This scholarship program offers Arizona Educators $2,000 per year for up to three years to pursue coursework or programs that will prepare them to add a STEM area (calculus, physics, biology, etc) or a CTE Certificate, along with bolster their STEM teaching knowledge and skills.
Any Arizona certified teachers with a current contract at an Arizona public school are eligible and encouraged to apply! Coursework must be taken through a regionally or nationally accredited secondary-education institution in Arizona, such as ASU, UA, NAU, GCU, or an Arizona Community College. In addition, scholarship recipients agree to teach in Arizona public schools for three years after completing their coursework or program.
In partnership with Phoenix Suns/Phoenix Mercury Foundation, APS' STEM Teacher Grants help bring learning to life with awards of up to $2,500 for K-12, public and charter school teachers who lead innovative, hands-on activities that introduce STEM concepts to the classroom. A total of $50,000 is available each year. This funding will be awarded for classroom projects from January through May!
Applications for this opportunity are generally open during the month of September, and this year will be available until September 30th, 2024! In addition all project funds must be spent on designated budget items within the school year in which they are approved.
To learn more and apply for this exciting opportunity, click below!
Our Professional Development Partners have a plethora of free or low-cost opportunities available to educators year-round! These workshops are hosted across every Arizona county, and there are plenty of in-person and virtual opportunities!
To visit the websites and professional development calendars of our partners, please feel free to click on any of the icons on the 'Our Partners' page, and there's sure to be workshops available for your grade level and subject area!
Our Partners
For K–12 STEM educators statewide, with priority
for rural and tribal communities.
The APS Foundation ASAP Fellows program supports
75 Arizona STEM teachers with stipends, professional
development, and resources to bring innovative STEM
learning into their classrooms.
✅ $1,000 stipend per fellow
✅ 10 hours of professional development
✅ Create one lesson plan for the statewide archive
✅ Priority given to rural and tribal schools
I have grown more in the last two years than I ever have. Much more willing to take risks and step way outside my comfort zone! Dare mighty things indeed!
Rob Lynch
Our online library of teacher-sourced STEM lesson plans provides one-stop access for K-12 educators. With lessons from every K-12 STEM subject, this free resource is sure to have something for your classroom!
See All Lesson Plans
Throughout the course of our program, under Grant No. BPM004016, the ASAP program has received essential funding contributions from the Arizona Department of Education, as well as additional funding from the APS Foundation and the U.S. Department of the Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR), which supports professional development for K–12 educators in Naval Science and Technology focus areas including microelectronics, cybersecurity, and biological systems across Arizona. These efforts have allowed our program to continue providing funds, materials, support, and guidance to teachers, as well as partner with other non-profit programs. The acceleration we've made to date in STEM Education would not have been possible without these funders!
For anyone who may be interested in partnering or contributing funding to ASAP to support future STEM Fellowships and advance education across our state- we would love for you to reach out!
