Monthly Archives: January 2025

Significant Statistics | Utah’s 8th-grade reading slips on the Nation’s Report Card

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Bad news: Utah was one of eight states where 8th-grade students’ reading scores were lower in 2024 than in 2022. Worse news: No states saw any improvement on the 4th-grade reading or 8th-grade reading or math scores. Better news: Utah’s 4th-grade reading and math scores and Utah’s 8th-grade math scores remained unchanged (in terms of statistically significant differences).  Good news: 15 states improved in 4th-grade math. And Utah remains better than the nation on all four tests (though … Continued

Op-ed: Legislators must consider cost of living and political dysfunction

Written by: Shawn Teigen

The Utah Legislature will likely spend much time over the next couple of months talking about K-12 and post-secondary education, energy, immigration, taxes and elections. But what should they consider if they want to be responsive to what matters most to Utahns? The answer: cost of living and political dysfunction. Cost of living: Housing With respect to the cost of living, voters were concerned about housing costs and all other household expenses following periods of … Continued

Significant Statistics | Ozone in the Unita Basin

Written by: Staff

Ground-level ozone is of concern to policymakers because of public health risks. Breathing ground-level ozone can cause respiratory problems, especially for vulnerable groups including children, older people, people who work outdoors, and those with preexisting respiratory conditions such as asthma.1 One source of ground-level ozone is from methane gas. The difference in methane emissions across Utah counties helps explain why Uintah and Duchesne counties have ground-level ozone concentrations of about 40% and 30% higher, respectively, … Continued

Significant Statistics | Board Votes for Top 2024 Findings

Written by: Shawn Teigen

  The Utah Foundation’s Board of Trustees not only determines each year’s research agenda – it also determines the most important findings for the year. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the board voters picked the number one choice.   Note: The percents above show the board members who voted for each issue. Each board member had three votes to select the top items from a final list of 10.   Three findings are from the Utah … Continued

Kelly Mendenhall Leads the Utah Foundation Board of Trustees into 2025

Written by: Shawn Teigen

SALT LAKE CITY (Jan. 3, 2025) – The Utah Foundation today announces the 2025 leadership team for its board of trustees, with Kelly Mendenhall, Director of Regulatory and Pricing at Enbridge, appointed as Board Chair. Mendenhall has worked for Enbridge and its predecessor companies for over 25 years. A native of Utah, he has supported the Utah Foundation as a board member since 2017. He was previously the Utah Foundation’s Vice Chair. Utah Foundation President Shawn … Continued