Policy
Education
Human beings are magnificent. We were born with a God-given ability to learn and the capacity to grow. As Aristotle put it, “All men by nature desire to know.” Education is broader than any one school system. It’s a series of opportunities to learn, which should be delivered in ways that allow us to meet the unique needs of children. The growing diversity of our student population requires an equitable education for every child, which contemplates both productive citizenship and employment and which is delivered by the best teachers – whoever they are.
This vision for education requires humility and the pursuit of good ideas – wherever they come from. We can achieve this by empowering parents to create learning paths as unique as the student, rejecting approaches that undermine decision-making authority of those closest to the student, respecting taxpayers as owners of the public education system, and protecting the marketplace of options and the innovators who contribute to it. Education is necessary because each individual has the potential to accomplish great things. Education should reflect these truths, and we believe it can.
Education
Human beings are magnificent. We were born with a God-given ability to learn and the capacity to grow. As Aristotle put it, “All men by nature desire to know.” Education is broader than any one school system. It’s a series of opportunities to learn, which should be delivered in ways that allow us to meet the unique needs of children. The growing diversity of our student population requires an equitable education for every child, which contemplates both productive citizenship and employment and which is delivered by the best teachers – whoever they are.
This vision for education requires humility and the pursuit of good ideas – wherever they come from. We can achieve this by empowering parents to create learning paths as unique as the student, rejecting approaches that undermine decision-making authority of those closest to the student, respecting taxpayers as owners of the public education system, and protecting the marketplace of options and the innovators who contribute to it. Education is necessary because each individual has the potential to accomplish great things. Education should reflect these truths, and we believe it can.
Published Research
Conversations
The need to end address discrimination
Adapting school districts to the new era of education
Will school districts overflow with open enrollment?
Why parents choose different schools for their kids
The political reality of trying to abolish the Department of Education
Striking the balance in educational involvement #utpol #studentsuccess
The need to end address discrimination
Adapting school districts to the new era of education
Insights & Takeaways
Press ReleaseSutherland releases new open enrollment policy reform recommendations
Sutherland Institute released a new research publication evaluating open enrollment, with proposed reforms to the law and its implementation.
InsightsWhat do academic scores on the ‘Nation’s Report Card’ tell us?
Students haven’t made up for the learning loss from the pandemic, and in many cases, they are still declining. But there are some wins and promising trends.
InsightsNew Supreme Court case at intersection of religion and parents’ rights in education
Despite state law, Maryland school district declined to give parents notice of teaching of sensitive sexuality-related topics and the ability to opt their children out. The parents sued.
InsightsDo we need a one-stop shop for open enrollment data?
In several states, there are online platforms that make open enrollment data and navigation easy for parents. Utah should consider how this might look in our state.
InsightsWhat will this legislative session hold for education policy?
While changes to higher education funding may take up a lot of airtime and gain media attention, plenty will also take place in the K-12 space as well.
InsightsCareer and technical education in 2025: growing support, consensus and participation
Utah’s interest in expanding career and technical education continues to grow, and CTE policy will likely be enhanced during this year’s legislative session.
InsightsPrivate education in 2025: enrollment and key policies
The future of private school enrollment could be significantly impacted by the expansion of education choice programs.
InsightsHome-based education in 2025: the numbers and top issues
Home-schooling rates are increasing across the country long after the pandemic, with an estimate of 5% of students being home-schooled.
InsightsPublic schools in 2025: enrollment and key issues
Among the issues Utah education leaders have championed are expanding CTE, addressing absenteeism, and helping English language learners.
CommentaryUtah advanced parent-driven education but left reforms on the table
Legislators should explore improvements to open enrollment transparency for parents and find innovative ways to increase parent access to classroom curriculum.
Impact AnalysisWhat Utahns think about transparency of school district open enrollment data
New Sutherland Institute/Y2 Analytics survey data – broken out into political groups and age ranges – provides insight into attitudes toward open enrollment data reform at the school district level.
InsightsSutherland Institute supports Utah’s new high school civics bill
Americans are faced with issues that make them wonder how our government works, but too few are equipped to engage meaningfully in the civic processes that surround us.