I was chatting with a colleague when he ask why university enrollment was declining. My unresearched, off-the-cuff answer was, “The economy is doing well.”
After spending some quality time with my good friend Google, I can more confidently say I’m partly right. Here’s a list of likely reasons; we’re not being hit with just […]
Grant Harkness recently questioned the concept of paying math and science teachers more than their peers in other subject areas. His criticism centers around the perceived prioritization of math and science over English in the curriculum.
His arguments misdiagnose the problem: it’s not that Math teachers are more important than English teachers. It’s that […]
I ended my last post asking, “Is public education the proper place for a solution?” It’s a bit of a loaded question. Certainly, public schools should teach what amount to basic life skills, right?
Here in Utah, the Legislature has mandated basic financial education for high school students (Utah Code 53A-13-108). It happened partly because bankruptcy […]
I’ve been involved in a national group studying financial literacy education in public schools. The statistics demonstrating the consumerism and indebtedness of the American public are astounding. It’s no wonder our federal government isn’t fiscally responsible–a good number of our citizens aren’t either.
The Problem
Americans carry about $800 billion in consumer debt. [1] At the […]
Yesterday, Provo voters approved both a bond and property tax leeway. (Daily Herald; Deseret News).
I’m pleased. The proposed uses of the bond and leeway are reasonable. Also, I spoke with members of the Provo Board of Education and the district superintendent prior to the election, and am assured the bond is necessary. It was […]
Rep. Steve Urquhart has published a piece focusing on the Governor’s veto of HB 151, which would have allowed higher education to charge students up to $30 per credit for concurrent enrollment ($90 for most courses).
To define the discussion, concurrent enrollment (CE), means classes taken in the high school for which college credit may be […]
I stumbled upon Kathy Sierra’s blog, Creating Passionate Users, a couple of months ago, and I was hooked. She discusses management, marketing, and technology, but her biggest contribution is learning theory. She is the driving force behind O’Rielly’s “Head First” series of computer books, taking on the dry and often boring task of teaching […]
There is, I believe, consensus among the education community that the most important influence on student performance is teacher quality. It would be difficult to find a parent who wouldn’t want the best and brightest teachers in their children’s classrooms. We have some amazing educators in Utah, but we don’t have enough of them. […]
It’s been a couple of weeks since the last Board of Education meeting. Chairman Burningham presented a resolution supporting Governor Huntsman’s efforts to expand kindergartens to full-day programs. While I believe the governor is well-intentioned, I disagree with the premise of full-day kindergartens.
It’s true that the achievement gap we’re facing in Utah schools becomes pronounced […]
Lynn Stoddard, author of Educating for Human Greatness, presented to the State Board of Education today. He touched on a thought that intrigued me. My interpretation was that in order to achieve maximum productivity from employees at all levels, instead of directing all employee activities, companies should instead ask the question, “What actions will […]
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