Education

Priority #20: Equal Protection for LGBTQ People.

Written by: Christopher Collard

This post continues our blog series on concerns that many Utah voters expressed in our survey that didn’t make the cut for our top ten list. This topic has appeared as a concern four of the past five election cycles.1 In every cycle, it ranked either last or second to last. This year it ranked 20th out of 21 concerns. In truth, equal protection for LGBTQ people is a complex issue in Utah. While Salt Lake City boasts … Continued

Utah Thrives – Moving Tier 3 Gasoline Closer

Written by: Dan Bammes

Gasoline refined to a government standard called Tier 3 holds promise for significant improvements in air quality for the Wasatch Front region. Local refineries, which supply almost all the gasoline used in Utah, are under a mandate to bring it to the market by 2020. State government is urging them to do it sooner and even offering large tax credits to help get the job done sooner. But one Utah refinery says the gasoline shipments … Continued

Utah Thrives — Proposals for Full-Day Kindergarten

Written by: Dan Bammes

The Utah Foundation Research Report Lessons from Our Neighbor: Learning from Colorado’s Educational Success pointed out much broader participation in full-day kindergarten in Colorado. In Utah, 13% of five-year olds attend full-day kindergarten. In Colorado, that number is 74%. Data from Colorado’s Department of Education show the boost kids get from participating in high-quality preschool and full-day kindergarten programs continues into high school. Here in Utah, there have been a number of steps toward implementing … Continued

Utah Foundation’s Top Ten Research Findings from 2015

Written by: Dan Bammes

The Utah Foundation Board of Trustees sets the research agenda at the beginning of each year, and responds with guidance and adjustments as the year goes along. At the end of the year, board members also look back at the Foundation’s work and evaluate the relative impact our research reports have had on the community and policy makers. We recently asked them to evaluate our efforts in 2015, with members voting on the significance of … Continued

Broadband Internet Ties Utah Together

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah, as it turns out, has better high-speed internet access than most other states. A new report from Utah Foundation says government action has had a role to play in that — from local initiatives such as Utopia and iProvo to statewide systems such as the Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN). While some of the local initiatives have had a rocky start, they’ve also helped to set the standard for the expansion of private … Continued

Utah’s Gender Wage Gap

Written by: Christopher Collard

Last October there was some buzz created by 24/7 Wall St ranking Utah as the number one worst state for women. The gender wage gap, or the difference in pay between an equally skilled, equally experienced man and woman was one factor used in the ranking. Estimating the pay gap is somewhat difficult. Numerous factors determine wages such as, skills, education, experience, and others. Using U.S. Census data we attempt to deconstruct the gender wage … Continued

Does Student Debt Slow Utah Millennials Down?

Written by: Christopher Collard

Does Student Debt Slow Utah Millennials Down? The ballooning amount of student debt is startling. Across the country, it adds up to almost 1.3 trillion dollars in total. As a comparison, that is almost how much US currency is in circulation today. Moreover, the majority of that debt is carried by a demographic (22-26 year olds) that needs its borrowing power. A lot of research has shown that a high level of student debt slows … Continued

Colorado Education Report Gets Attention from Media, Legislature

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah Foundation’s report Lessons from Our Neighbor: Learning from Colorado’s Educational Success drew substantial coverage in Utah news media after its release July 7th. It was featured on the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune and on the KSL-TV broadcast PrimeTime along with several other news outlets. Utah Foundation Research Director Shawn Teigen discusses the Colorado education report with KSL-TV news anchor Deanie Wimmer   In the report, Research Director Shawn Teigen and Research … Continued

How do you Define a Generation?

Written by: Christopher Collard

This month Utah Foundation will release the fourth part of its report looking at generational differences among Utahns and their national counterparts. The first problem encountered when writing this report is defining the generations themselves. Each organization has a different generational definitions, but the table below outlines some of the more common generations as well as a few alternatives.   Most Common Generations Generation Alternate Names General Birth Cohort Greatest Generation GI Generation, Traditionalists 1910-1928 … Continued

Turning Education Funding Around

Written by: Dan Bammes

Governor Gary R. Herbert was asked about the recent Utah Foundation report on growth in Utah’s public school population during his monthly news conference at KUED on Thursday, May 14th. The report Reaching Toward 2050: Education in the Midst of Population Growth urges the creation of a long-term, statewide plan for Utah’s public schools and includes an explanation of how past policy changes have limited the funding base for the expected growth of Utah’s K-12 … Continued