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. It also assesses student achievement in Utah, highlighting the fact that Utah’s students’ science scores are among the top in the nation.
As part of our Utah Priorities Project, this month Utah Foundation releases a series of policy briefs of each of the top ten issues identified in our 2012 Utah Priorities Survey. These briefs provide important information and policy analysis to ensure candidates and voters are well informed of the facts and trends related to each of the top ten issues.
Read this Utah Priorities Brief
Also see Utah Foundation research from recent years on K-12 education:
- Comparing Teacher Compensation: Looking Beyond the Averages (Aug. 2011)
- Utah’s Education Funding Effort: State Faces Long-Term Challenges (June 2011)
- School Testing Results: How Utah Compares to States With Similar Demographics (Sep. 2010)
- Preparing Utah’s Workforce for 21st Century Jobs (March 2010)
- Educational Attainment: Utah Falling Behind National Trends (Oct. 2009)
- Improving Teacher Quality in Utah (Aug. 2008)
- What Can $3,702 Buy? How Utah Compares in Education Spending and Services (May 2008)
- Equalizing School Building Funds (Feb. 2008)