Category Archives: Education

‘Education savings accounts’: a game-changing idea

Posted on September 30, 2011 by

Tweet   For you parents out there with students in high school, how would you like it if you were given a chunk of money to pay for the best high school education possible for your child, with the flexibility … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Parental Rights | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

UHSAA rule slams door on opportunities for student

Posted on September 22, 2011 by

Tweet   Earlier this year, we warned that the new transfer rule for student-athletes instituted by the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) would discourage student-athletes from taking advantage of open enrollment. The recent case of Conner Martinez is one … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Free market competition improves public education, too

Posted on September 13, 2011 by

Tweet   Free market advocates and thinkers argue that market forces and competition motivate businesses and entrepreneurs to innovate and create new goods and services that improve peoples’ lives. Over time those goods and services become better and often less … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Free market | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Parents as a supply of ‘revenue enhancements’

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

Tweet   The newspapers are reporting that a state senator is raising (again) the idea that what Utah schools need is more money and that this money should come from increasing taxes on parenting. Specifically, the “revenue enhancement” (“a politically … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Taxes | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Letter confirms that power is top issue for Ogden teachers union

Posted on August 22, 2011 by

Tweet   Last month, I argued that the objection of the Ogden Education Association (OEA), the Ogden teachers union, to the district’s move toward performance pay for teachers was motivated by a fear of losing union power. Well, a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Collective Bargaining, Education | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Keeping Utah schools shackled via the back door

Posted on August 19, 2011 by

Tweet   As Congress continues to delay reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), many states, including Utah, are requesting waivers from parts of the federal law, and some states are being openly defiant about it. With all this waiver … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, NCLB | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

4th down and one inch – and Canyons School District punts

Posted on August 18, 2011 by

Tweet   The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Canyons School District has decided not to sell a one-acre parcel to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a seminary building. Instead, the school district has decided to … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Religion | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Bye-bye, collective bargaining?

Posted on August 16, 2011 by

Tweet   This fall, the Utah Legislature may research the possibility of eliminating collective bargaining for government workers, including employees of public schools. We interviewed Senator Howard Stephenson (R-Dist. 11) and Kory Holdaway, director of government relations and political action … Continue reading →

Posted in Collective Bargaining, Education | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Charter schools or traditional schools: which is better?

Posted on August 11, 2011 by

Tweet   In response to our recent blog post about the success of one Utah public charter school, we have received requests to produce credible research and data showing whether public charter schools are superior to traditional public schools. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Utah charter school shows what flexibility and dedication can accomplish

Posted on August 8, 2011 by

Tweet   What can ambitious students at a Utah charter school with a dedicated staff and clear vision accomplish? Sutherland Daily spoke with Brian McGill, principal of The Academy for Math, Engineering and Science (AMES), and one of his students, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Relief from federal education mandates may be in sight

Posted on July 20, 2011 by

Tweet   We have some good news out of Washington. Utah’s own Rep. Rob Bishop, an educator in Utah’s public schools for 28 years, has introduced a bill in Congress that could exempt Utah and other states from burdensome federal … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Federalism, NCLB | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

In-depth interviews help shed light on Ogden education debate

Posted on July 15, 2011 by

Tweet   We have been writing a lot about the Ogden School District’s decision to sign its teachers on an individual basis and to move toward a pay-for-performance plan. These steps are important ones that could gradually help change the … Continue reading →

Posted in Collective Bargaining, Education, Labor | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ogden rally raw footage, empowering parents, NCLB

Posted on July 14, 2011 by

Tweet   Today in Ogden, an estimated 400 people protested the Ogden School District’s decision to forgo collective bargaining in favor of a contract made on its own terms. You can see footage of the protest here, taken by Alexis … Continue reading →

Posted in Collective Bargaining, Education, NCLB, Parental Rights | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Uproar in Ogden: middleman frets about losing its clout

Posted on July 13, 2011 by

Tweet   Much ado has been made by several groups (e.g., here and here) opposed to the Ogden School District’s (OSD) decision to move to a performance-based pay system for teachers. A key part of their objections is a perceived … Continue reading →

Posted in Collective Bargaining, Education, Labor | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Ogden School District: a radical approach to teacher pay?

Posted on July 8, 2011 by

Tweet   The Ogden School District is offering its teachers a take-it-or-leave-it employment contract (including a 1.6 percent raise) which each teacher must sign individually by July 20 or risk becoming unemployed. The district decided to act on its own after an … Continue reading →

Posted in Collective Bargaining, Education, Free market, Labor | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment