With $866 million on the line, Arizona opens contentious review of teacher standards

By Stacy Mantle
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Arizona education officials are launching a year-long review of professional teaching standards in an effort to comply with federal guidance calling for the removal of diversity, equity and inclusion language from materials associated with federal funding.

The effort follows a Feb. 14 notice from the U.S. Department of Education stating compliance reviews will be part of ongoing federal oversight for programs that support districts and charter schools. Arizona State Board of Education members addressed the issue in October, tabling it for their Dec. 8 meeting. 

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said the financial stakes leave the state little choice but to act.

“If Arizona does not comply with federal guidance, the state may lose an estimated $866 million to Arizona schools,” Horne said. “That is a major funding cut, so starting this process is vital to addressing this situation.”

Horne rejected concerns raised during public comment that revising DEI language could limit how history is taught in Arizona classrooms.

“There’s absolutely nothing about taking DEI out of standards that would interfere with teaching the history of Native Americans or any other group,” Horne said. “In fact, I was the one during my first term who put into the standards that we should teach the history of different groups.”

State leaders say the stakes are substantial. Arizona receives about $866 million in federal support for special education, English learner services, Title I, career pathways and rural school assistance.

Horne said the potential loss of those funds requires immediate action.

“That is a major funding cut, so starting this process is vital to addressing this situation,” Horne said. 

The state’s Professional Teaching Standards guide educator effectiveness, professional learning and alignment expectations for educator preparation programs. Although not mandated for evaluation, they shape mentoring, coaching and reflective practice across districts, colleges and community partners. Preparation programs must align coursework to either state-approved standards or national equivalents to maintain approval.

Legal uncertainty and competing interpretations

The decision to initiate revisions comes as legal questions continue to surface about the enforceability of Executive Order 14151 signed by President Donald Trump. In a Dec. 4 letter to the State Board, the Arizona Education Association argued several federal courts blocked key provisions of the order and related federal directives last spring. The letter cites injunctions issued in three jurisdictions, followed by an August ruling that found the Department of Education’s certification requirements unlawful for threatening to withhold federal funds from institutions that maintained DEI programming.

While state leaders cite the risk of funding loss, educators and advocacy groups raised questions about whether federal enforcement remains imminent. In written and verbal testimony, several speakers pointed to federal court rulings that blocked key enforcement provisions tied to the executive order.

“These rulings make plain that the department does not have the authority to infringe on state and local decisions regarding educational curriculum and instruction,” the AEA wrote, arguing schools are not under an immediate threat of funding loss if the state declines to revise its standards.

Others argued the proposed revisions go beyond what federal guidance requires. Beth Lewis, director of Save Our Schools Arizona, said the scope of the changes raised red flags.

“The revisions proposed go far beyond what the executive order dictates,” Lewis said. “Ensuring educators understand and respond to cultural differences is key to student learning. Gutting standards around cultural competence would be educational malpractice.”

The association also raised concerns about the impact of frequent revisions on Arizona’s educator workforce. The AEA reports that more than 1,000 teachers have resigned since the start of the 2025–26 school year, and more than 4,200 positions have only been temporarily filled.

"These standards are only five years old," said board member Dr. Kathy Wiebke. "I understand the executive order and the pressure that we are under, but at one point we felt really strongly about this framework because this is what was adopted."

Clinical psychologist Mario Aosta echoed concerns about potential impacts on students and families.

“These ideas are not evidence-based and will hurt families and children,” Aosta said.

ADE officials maintain the federal guidance remains in effect while litigation continues and that Arizona must act proactively to ensure uninterrupted funding. The agency says the working group process will allow the state to meet federal expectations while maintaining clarity and instructional rigor for educators.

Public comment highlights concerns about history, disability and identity

During public comment at the December meeting, speakers repeatedly returned to how standards shape instruction for vulnerable student populations. 

“I ask whatever you do to legislation with DEI that we always keep it here in the schools in Arizona, especially for kids with disabilities,” Noah James Markham said.

“Our students should be taught social studies from all perspectives accurately and honestly,” said Beth Hatcher, retired teacher and former governing board president. “History should be taught accurately, even history we find uncomfortable.”

Faith and tribal leaders raised concerns about erasing lived experiences from classroom instruction. 

“The doctrine of discovery needs to be explicitly named because it is a fact of our history,” said Jennifer Riddle, an Episcopal Church bishop. “Academic integrity requires that we teach this honestly.”

“I was not seen," said Debbie Royals, a Pascua Yaqui and Cherokee elder, describing the long-term effects of exclusion that she noticed in education. "There was no room for my people’s history to be shared. Losing one’s identity is serious.”

“Progress has never come from comfort,”  said Cedric Collins, a public commenter. “It comes from courage...”

National standards landscape without imminent updates

Arizona’s review begins as national preparation standards remain largely unchanged. The InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards, used widely across the country, are not expected to be updated soon. The Council of Chief State School Officers confirmed that no revision timeline exists, requiring states to determine how best to navigate compliance individually.

States use InTASC differently. Oregon applies them to educator evaluation and professional development, Hawaii uses them for licensure renewal, and Kansas embeds the standards in mentoring programs. 

Others, including Oregon, Nebraska, Rhode Island and Alaska, have modified or abbreviated the standards to suit local needs. Some states rely on accreditation pathways through CAEP or AAQEP, while Louisiana, Massachusetts, Illinois and Michigan operate under homegrown frameworks.

A separate national effort by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education to define essential competencies for new teachers will not conclude until 2028, meaning Arizona’s revisions will occur well before any national consensus is available.

Working group design and expectations

The State Board directed ADE to convene a working group with broad representation across Arizona’s education community. The group will review existing standards, define DEI-related terminology, determine which references require revision or removal and evaluate implications for preparation programs, professional learning, coaching and evaluation.

“My concern is the culture of this committee,” said state board member Dr. Jackie Clay during the December meeting. “It must be transparent and allow robust conversation without fear.”

Board member Dr. Jose Luis Cruz Rivera, the president of Northern Arizona University, said the board must balance financial responsibility with public accountability.

“This board has a fiduciary duty, but also a public trust duty," he said. "We must balance compliance with the integrity of the process.”

Horne said the review reflects a necessary philosophical change.

“All people should be judged based on their character and ability, not their race or ethnicity,” he said. “DEI language and programs promote the exact opposite, and they have no place in the classroom. These terms do not belong in teaching standards, which are meant to direct educators on the most effective ways to teach students’ core academics. Every instructional minute is precious, and DEI efforts distract from that essential mission.”

AEA leaders argue that removing all DEI references could weaken educators’ ability to respond to the needs of Arizona’s diverse student population, which includes 93,000 English learners, 130,000 students with special needs, thousands of military-connected students and communities representing 22 federally recognized tribes. They say existing standards help teachers understand how students’ backgrounds, cultures and experiences shape learning.

AEA warned in its letter to the board that, "even at the highest levels of government, efforts to comply with the Trump administration's DEI mandates have resulted in the removal of lessons on American heroes, including the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee Airmen, and the Women's Airforce Service Pilots, as well as the suspension of programming designed to prevent sexual assault. within Arizona public schools." 

Statewide implications for educators and preparation programs

Districts, colleges and educator preparation programs will be watching as the review progresses. Existing syllabi, licensure renewal requirements, mentoring structures and professional development plans are built around current language. Any revisions could require transitional guidance, updated evaluation rubrics and revised reporting expectations for compliance monitoring.

The scope of these changes will depend on how the working group defines prohibited terminology, whether Arizona adopts replacement language and how closely revisions must align with federal guidance.

The working group will begin meeting in February 2026, with monthly updates to the board and a draft due no later than September 2026. Virtual and hybrid meeting formats will allow for participation from rural educators and statewide associations, including the Arizona School Administrators, the Arizona Rural Schools Association and the Arizona Education Association.

Arizona’s final teaching standards will help determine how preparation programs train new teachers and how districts support instructional excellence in classrooms across the state, setting the direction for the next decade of educator development. 

Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Stacy Mantle
Education Solutions Reporter

smantle@iniusa.org

Meet Stacy
Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.

Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.

Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!

Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.

Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.