Education

Reaching for Educational Equity: An Evaluation of Utah’s Rural Schools

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

The vast majority of Utah is rural, though only a small portion of Utahns live and work in rural parts of the state. Rural schools educate about 15% of Utah’s students, spread over a wide and varied geography. Utah’s rural educators – concerned about the challenges facing their schools – requested that Utah Foundation analyze educational inputs and outputs to determine whether students in these areas are receiving opportunities for success comparable to non-rural students.

Utah Priorities 2012, Issue #2: K-12 Education

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

In 2012, voters listed K-12 education as the 2nd most important priority in the election year. Utah voters have ranked K-12 education as one of their top three concerns in each of the Utah Priorities Project surveys dating back to 2004. Voters list the top three issues within K-12 education as funding, student preparation for college and career, and teacher quality. This report addresses those funding challenges, as well as recent budgetary and policy developments. … Continued

Utah Priorities 2012, Issue #6: Higher Education

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

In 2012, voters listed higher education as the 6th most important priority in the election year. This policy brief addresses the increase in enrollment in Utah’s colleges and universities, the decrease in state funding for higher education, and the increase in tuition throughout USHE institutions. It also discusses the issue of student loan debt, which is currently at a record high in the U.S. Finally, it examines the goal that by 2020, 66% of Utah’s … Continued

Utah Priorities 2012, Issue #10: Immigration

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

In 2012, voters listed immigration as the 10th most important priority in the election year. This policy brief dealing with this issue explains why immigration grew at a rapid pace at the national and state levels in the 1990s, why it has decreased in recent years and what legal actions the state has taken to deal with this.  It also discusses how immigration has changed Utah throughout the past two decades, and how it ill … Continued

Recovering From the Great Recession: Are We There Yet?

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

The “Great Recession” that occurred between 2007 and 2009 has had a profound impact on the economy of Utah and on the nation as a whole. It lasted 18 months and was not only well above the average length of a recession since the Great Depression, but was also the longest recession since that time. This recession was also arguably the worst recession since 1945, with job growth at the lowest rates since that time, … Continued

The 2012 Utah Priorities Survey of Party Delegates and Voters

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

As part of the 2012 Utah Priorities Project, Utah Foundation and the Hinckley Institute of Politics have surveyed Utah voters and delegates to the major parties’ state conventions.  This survey was conducted for the first time in 2010, showing distinct differences between party delegates and voters, with delegates usually taking more zealous positions than their parties’ voters.  The 2012 survey also shows differences between voters and delegates, but those differences are not as pronounced as … Continued

Utah Priorities Gubernatorial Survey: A Comparison of Candidates’ and Voters’ Top Priorities for 2012

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

Utah Foundation recently released The 2012 Utah Priorities Survey, which provides a summary of the findings of a statewide Dan Jones & Associates survey assessing which issues are most important this election year and how voters feel about Utah’s economy, society and politics.  For the first time, Utah Foundation also requested that the gubernatorial candidates complete part of this survey.  All of the Republican and Democratic candidates and two of three third-party candidates completed the … Continued

The 2012 Utah Priorities Survey: The Top Issues and Concerns of Utah Voters for the 2012 Election

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

In this election year, Utahns are more confident that the state is heading in the right direction than they were two years ago. However, they are still not as confident as they were in the 2004 and 2008 elections.  Their concerns about issues like jobs and the economy, public education, and healthcare remain strong.  Some issues that were important in the 2010 election, such as ethics of elected officials, states’ rights vs. the federal government, … Continued

The 2011 Utah Foundation Quality of Life Index: First Biennial Survey Reveals Strengths, Weaknesses

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

It is often said that Utah has a high quality of life.  Many people born in Utah live here their entire lives, and those who leave the state for education or employment reasons often return some years later.  What is it that makes Utah such an appealing place to live?  Others from outside of Utah are drawn to this state, often citing its beauty, recreation or employment opportunities as their reason for moving here.  It … Continued

Comparing Teacher Compensation: Looking Beyond the Averages

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

Simply comparing average teacher salaries for all full-time teachers across states can provide a misleading picture of the relative financial incentives teachers have for working in different states.  In over 90 percent of districts in the United States, teaching salaries are based upon a salary schedule that uses experience and education (degrees or credit hours/courses completed) to determine teacher salary. Because of these schedules, average teacher salaries are partly a function of the relative age, … Continued