Testimony given by Christine Cooke, education policy director at Sutherland Institute, in support of HB 408 (Public Education Amendments), on Feb. 26, 2018, before the House Education Committee of the Utah Legislature.

Thank you, committee members. My name is Christine Cooke, director of education policy at Sutherland Institute.

Sutherland Institute supports HB 408 – Public Education Amendments

Since last fall Sutherland has hosted a series of policy panels that highlight innovative education models in a number of different topics – with the intention of spreading/sharing good ideas among local education leaders. It’s had the effect of connecting leaders even across state lines. This is work that the state could take up.

We believe in giving local leaders the space to try new ways of educating students, but we also believe they should be equipped with the data to know what programs or ideas are working.

The work of the ULEAD program and director – including finding innovative models, analyzing barriers to replications, and publishing reports for LEAs – is an important state-level support to improving education in the state.

We encourage you to support the bill

Thank you.