The provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) include (1) the requirement for states to periodically review resource allocation in local education agencies (LEAs) serving a significant number of schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement (CSI),…

During the 2019 General Session, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 166, "School Readiness Amendments", to improve the coordination and alignment of preschool programming. This report is provided to the Education Interim Committee as a summary of an evaluation of and the efficacy of the High Quality School Readiness (HQSR) Grant…

Formal mentoring has been an effective approach to mitigate challenges facing underserved youth and contributes to observable improvements in behavior, relationships, and emotional well-being (Rhodes, 2008). Mentored youth appear to gain improvements in peer and parent relationships and school performance, while also engaging in lower levels of…

This study examines the relationship between Individualized Education Program (IEP) goal content and quality and the education outcomes for students in elementary school with complex support needs (CSN) in Utah, focusing on grades three through six. The investigation explores whether the alignment of IEP goals with alternate state standards and…

To introduce and provide equine-related activities to military personnel and their families, Utah State University Equine Extension created and implemented an effective program called Ride Utah! Equine-related activities have been shown to improve mental health and build strong family relationships in participating individuals. Ride Utah!…

The Partnerships for Student Success grant program is designed to improve educational outcomes for students who are economically disadvantaged by funding grantees to establish and strengthen community partnerships among school districts, businesses, government, and non-profit agencies. The Utah State Board of Education awarded four grants during…

The Region 15 Comprehensive Center (R15CC) is federally funded to provide high-impact, customized, and responsive capacity-building technical assistance to state educational agencies (SEAs) in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. In 2022, R15CC established a regional Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Collaborative for SEA leaders in…

Rising youth suicide rates in the last several years have become an increasingly critical issue both nationwide and within the state of Utah. In a World Health Organization (2019) suicide report, it was found that an estimated 62,118 youths between the ages of 10 and 19 completed suicide in 2016, making suicide the second leading cause of death…

Mentoring programs at universities have become common because of the perceived benefit to student persistence and retention. Evaluation of the effectiveness of these programs has not kept pace, primarily due to the following three problematic issues: (1) lack of theoretical guidance, (2) lack of an operational definition of mentoring, and (3) lack…

During the 2019 General Session, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 166, "School Readiness Amendments," to improve the coordination and alignment of preschool programming. This report is provided to the Education Interim Committee as a summary of an evaluation of and the efficacy of both the high-quality school readiness grant programs.…

Purpose: This study is a formative evaluation of an adolescent online e-cigarette prevention program (Clearing the Vapor) giving attention to identifying higher risk adolescent populations, confirming the theory of change, and assessing short-term outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: The evaluation was conducted using online pre-test and…

The Utah State Board (USBE) intergenerational poverty (IGP) grant funding focuses on high quality afterschool programming and academics, including intentional math and reading interventions. The Department of Workforce Services (DWS) Office of Child Care (OCC) may provide supplemental funding for enrichment and prevention education activities to…

The purpose of the Teacher Prep Review is to guarantee teachers have expertise in reading instruction (as well as other essential areas NCTQ assesses) before being trusted to teach children to read. By regularly reviewing the reading coursework provided by nearly 700 elementary teacher preparation programs, the National Council on Teacher Quality…

During the 2019 General Session, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 166, "School Readiness Amendments," to improve the coordination and alignment of preschool programming. This report is provided to the Education Interim Committee as a summary of an evaluation of and the efficacy of both the highquality school readiness grant programs.…

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, K-12 schools are under immense pressure to meet the diverse needs of students. But policies and practices have not evolved quickly enough to meet those needs -- and as a result, the system continues to fail far too many young people. In "Levers of Change: How State Policies Support District…