From Deseret News archives:
Utah so-so in 'success'
Life prospects study notes lack of preparation for college but still rates the state 20th overall
Utah students may be falling behind, however, once they leave high school and face higher education with preparation and participation that dip below national averages.
That's according to "Quality Counts 2007: From Cradle to Career, Connecting American Education From Birth to Adulthood," produced by the national magazine Education Week.
The analysis is based on the "Chance-for-Success Index," developed for the magazine by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center. It includes child health insurance, state preschool offerings, parents' income and educational attainment, the state's scores on national tests and links between the public schools' and colleges' standards and other factors that influence a person's well-being and educational and job success.
Despite below-average marks for higher education preparation and retention, Utah ranks 20th best tied with Rhode Island and scores in the second of five tiers on the Chance-for-Success Index.
This is the first year since 1997 that Quality Counts didn't grade states on school climate and funding and teacher quality. Utah's marks were never good, mainly because of big classes and the lowest per-student funding in the nation.
"I like it a lot better without the grades. I think it makes more sense, and ... overall, it looks good," said Mark Peterson, spokesman for the State Office of Education. "It's a good second check on school performance and on standards and accountability ... the policy end of it is certainly worth looking at."
The report is online at www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2007/01/04/index.html.
Recent comments
I'm moving back to california
chris | Nov. 4, 2007 at 9:40 p.m.
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