Utah has a unique opportunity to consider education choice in our state right now.

We’re in the timely overlap of the first week of the Utah State Legislative session and National School Choice week.

Here are a few ways to celebrate the options that choice in education brings us:

Encourage our legislators to support education choice

The Utah State Legislature has the opportunity to move the ball on increasing choices for students and supporting innovation in our approach to education.

In fact, the Legislature is already poised to take up concurrent enrollment, apprenticeships, and different scholarships for students. If you want to make sure any of these or other education choices are protected, check out the bills that are being introduced this session and reach out to your representative.

Watch the movie Miss Virginia

Other Utahns are gathering in Park City tomorrow (January 31) for a screening of Miss Virginia. It’s a movie based on the true story of Virginia Walden Ford, a mother who fought for an education choice program in Washington, D.C., that has given thousands of students living in danger and poverty the chance to get a good education.

The Park City event is currently sold out, but there are other options – which you can find here – for viewing it from the comfort of your home. 

Learn about options for your child

Utah offers many educational options already. You can celebrate school choice by learning about and taking advantage of them. There are plenty of choices for parents to consider, including the robust network of charter schools, the nationally renowned dual immersion programs, award-winning private schools, innovative early education options like UPSTART, or quasi-homeschooling public school options like My Tech High.

For students who are about to graduate or enter the college and career stage of life: Check out the new industry pathways that lead high school students into some of the highest paying jobs in the state; visit some of Utah’s technical colleges for hands-on learning and a range of career choices; or make campus visits to universities so you can ask about the options they offer. Be sure to ask about innovations like a “degree in three” years, online offerings, competency-based approaches, income-share agreements and more.

Use this week to support, learn about, and find education choices that work best for you. Happy National School Choice week, everyone.