AzTEP is a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement grant. Following the Governor’s Tribal Summit on Education in March 2003, the Governor’s Office collaborated with the Arizona Department of Education to develop the Arizona Teacher Excellence Plan (AzTEP). The goal of the project is to develop a corps of highly qualified teachers to staff Arizona’s underserved schools on Arizona’s Indian reservations and previous Federal Enterprise Communities. Together, the Governor’s Office and the Arizona Department of Education will work to fulfill the objectives under AzTEP.

AzTEP funds were awarded to the following schools or school districts to implement the cost of prescribed programs:
The initial cohort funded through the AzTEP initiative for the 2004-2005 school year consists of:

• Chinle Unified School District - Navajo Nation
• Shonto Preparatory School - Navajo Nation
• Mexicoytl Academy - Nogales, Arizona
• Lowell Elementary School - Phoenix, Arizona

The second cohort funded for the 2005-2006 school years includes:

• Window Rock Unified Schools District - Navajo Nation
• Tuba City Unified School District - Navajo Nation
• San Carlos Intermediate School - San Carlos Apache Nation
• Indian Oasis/Baboquivari School District - Tohono O'odham Nation
• Somerton Middle School - Somerton, Arizona
• Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community High School - Near Scottsdale, Arizona
• Santa Cruz County School System - Nogales, Arizona

* Shonto Preparatory School did not re-apply for year two funding and Santa Cruz County Schools did not receive funding for year three.