Teachers are the backbone of our educational system. They are dedicated professionals, and we need to honor their profession while recognizing that just as desire alone is not a qualification to teach, merely holding a certificate is not sufficient in today's economy, and continuous improvement is required. This means recruiting individuals to become teachers that have the talent AND a true commitment to the profession of teaching, and providing them with a relevant, quality preparation so they can be successful. We must make certain that teachers participate in self-assessment, reflective practice and professional growth, that they hold themselves to a high standard of performance, and that quality evaluation systems are in place to provide feedback and support, as well as corrective action when necessary. If you are interested in advancing the profession of teaching, join now!

We need to assure that teachers are fairly and adequately compensated for the work that they do. Salaries must be competitive with other professions with similar qualifications and structured in a manner that encourages excellence in teaching. While incentives based on certain criteria are a part of this, base salaries must also be competitive in order to attract high quality individuals to the profession. A fair system should recognize and reward quality teaching and learning and provide incentives and rewards based upon transparent and clearly-defined criteria and expectations. Do you have thoughts on teacher pay? Join our discussion on Facebook or ask Penny a question.

Teacher training programs should be rigorous and relevant to the needs of the students candidates are being prepared to teach. We must maintain high standards for entry and preparation, and provide multiple pathways for meeting those requirements without sacrificing our commitment to high quality and high standards for the profession. Continuous growth and improvement and clear standards for the profession leading to improved student achievement are hallmarks of quality professional development efforts and every teacher deserves the opportunity to have those experiences. You can contribute to our efforts to enhance teacher quality by contributing or joining the campaign today.

Quality teaching and learning now and in the future are dependent on the ability of teachers to understand, manage and use of a variety of technological tools to improve their practice, and maximize learning opportunities for students. We need to provide opportunities for students to learn in quality technology-based learning environments that can expand educational options for students and supplement traditional education approaches. You can follow our discussions of teaching and learning on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

In today's economy, nearly every job requires some training after high school. Whether it be a bachelor's degree, an associate's degree, or career-specific training, it is increasingly unlikely that a student will graduate from high school never to set foot in a classroom again. We must prepare our students to succeed in higher education in whatever form it may present itself. We must make certain that our education graduates students with critical thinking skills that can write well and have an adequate knowledge of math and science, and we must graduate more of them. We must continue to invest in career and technical education to engage those students who are not satisfied by a traditional college-prep curriculum, while ensuring that all students develop the academic skills necessary to succeed in whatever field they choose. The State Board of Education has begun some very good work in this area, and we must build upon it in the years to come. Find out how you can help us make success a reality.

Given the highly competitive nature of the current economy, a student without a high school diploma is ill-prepared to succeed. Arizona's high school graduation rate is scarcely better than 70 percent, meaning that roughly three out of every ten students that start high school fail to complete it. For Hispanic students, it's slightly less than 65 percent, while for Native Americans, it's 55 percent. When we're talking about roughly 72,000 students that enter high school as freshman each year, this means that we are losing roughly 19,000 students by the time they are seniors. A majority of those students are African-American, Latino and Native American. This is unacceptable. We must develop ways to engage minority and at-risk students to keep them in school and learning. Join us today to help secure the prosperous future of Arizona's students.

Every student deserves the opportunity to learn in an environment that is calm and conducive to learning, and free from harassment, intimidation, and violence. Schools by-and-large are still among the safest places that students can be, however too many students every day are subjected to bullying or threats of physical violence by their peers. Anxiety over such matters impacts students' ability to achieve at their highest potential. We must work to enhance classroom management skills for teachers at all levels, continue to collaborate with local law enforcement agencies on school safety, and support school districts in developing fair and effective discipline policies that steer our students toward becoming good citizens in addition to gaining academic knowledge. Find out how you can help Penny keep Arizona's schools safe.

Arizona's students are assessed continuously through the AIMS, Terra Nova, and other tests. In addition to making sure that students receive the academic support they need to pass the AIMS test, we must use the massive amounts of data gained from students' performance on these examination to continually improve our schools. Data from the AIMS test can be used in many ways besides simply declaring a school "performing" or not. We must work with teachers and administrators to enable the use of this data in ways that are fair, transparent, and result in greater student achievement. Further, we must ensure that any and all assessments administered, especially for high school graduation, do not place certain demographics of students at a disadvantage. You can help advocate for Arizona's students by donating today.