Education

Since Utah passed its charter school law in 1998, the concept of independent public schools empowered with the ability to develop innovative curricula and governance structures has gained increasing popularity. The number of charter schools has grown from eight in the fall of 1999 to 19 in the fall of 2003. However, determining the best way to fund charter schools has not been easy. Legislators have changed charter school finance laws twice in the five … Continued

Since 1990, Utah Foundation has offered an analysis of the results of Utah’s Statewide Testing program. This program mandates that a uniform test, currently the Ninth Edition of the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT 9), be administered to every third, fifth, eighth, and eleventh grader in the state. This year’s report, while still looking at the current test performance (individual school performance can be found in the Appendix at the end of the report) of Utah’s … Continued

The economic recession dating from March 2001 created budget shortfalls in many states, including Utah. The higher education budget was among many that faced budget cuts. To help make up the shortfall, law changes were put into effect this fall. The new laws changed Utah’s residency requirements from one year to sixty semester hours (the equivalent of two years of full-time schooling) and increased resident and non-resident tuition.

Providing adequate funding for public education is difficult in Utah. Although taxpayers pay relatively high taxes and a large share of that tax revenue is dedicated to education, the size of Utah’s student population leads to the lowest per-pupil funding in the nation. We have become adept at doing our best with limited resources, like the old New England proverb adopted by early Utahns, “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do … Continued

Recently, significant attention has been paid to the issue of educational choice, both in Utah and nationally. A Gallup Poll in January 2001 found that 54% of the public believed that vouchers (state subsidies for private school tuition, aimed at families who would otherwise not be able to afford private school) would improve the public education system.

Since 1990, Utah Foundation has offered an analysis of the results of Utah’s Statewide Testing program. This program mandates that a uniform test, currently the 9th Edition of the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT 9), be administered to every 3rd, 5th, 8th and 11th grader in the state. This year, in addition to an analysis of the 2001 SAT 9 scores, this report will examine the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores in the … Continued

Access to higher education is a determining factor in ensuring the economic vitality of Utah. The price of higher education is increasing. This report will analyze the trends facing both students and policymakers as they attempt to balance access to and quality of higher education.

In order to provide an assessment of student performance, public school students in grades 5, 8, and 11 have been tested each fall since 1990. Originally this state-mandated program was designed to provide a uniform test of all students in one grade of each elementary, middle and high school in the state. In the fall of 2000, third grade students were added to Utah’s statewide testing program. Since 1997, the State Office of Education has … Continued