Education
The Gardner Policy Institute employs a senior education analyst and a team of demographers and economists knowledgeable about Utah’s education policies and economy. We also benefit from an Education Advisory Council that guides our research agenda and supports the development of an education policy practice area. Our focus includes K-12 and higher education research, analysis, and reporting related to education policies, Utah demographics, public finance, and the economy.
Insight: The Role of Education in the Utah Economy
By: Andrea Thomas Brandley Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS.™ Sep 1, 2023 – Education plays a crucial role in Utah’s economy. One of the most discussed contributions is workforce development—or educating and training students to be prepared to enter the labor force. Whether in preschool or graduate school, education helps Utahns expand their knowledge and build skills they can later apply in both[...]
Utah’s Pandemic Learning Loss
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted nearly every aspect of life, and K-12 education was no exception. In spring 2020, nearly all schools nationwide shifted to remote learning and many schools continued with full closures or hybrid schedules through the 2020-2021 school year.
A Visual Guide to Tax Modernization: Individual Income Tax in Utah
Utahns share a common interest in a state and local tax system that provides for our needs, keeps the economy strong, and remains viable over the long term. This visual guide, which is the fourth in a series, illustrates key components of Utah’s income tax – the fastest growing and most volatile major tax.
Insight: Teacher Salaries: How Does Utah Compare?
By: Andrea Thomas Brandley Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. Mar 6, 2023 – Teacher salaries are receiving a boost as Utah’s 2023 legislative session concludes. H.B. 215 “Funding for Teacher Salaries and Optional Education Opportunities” provides licensed educators with an annual $4,200 pay raise (with an extra $1,800 in benefits). Additionally, S.B. 183 “Educator Salary Amendments” will tie educator salary adjustments to the[...]
Utah’s School- and College-Age Populations: 2021 Long-Term Planning Projection Update
The age detail provided in the long-term planning projections published by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute illustrates how changes in age structure and declines in births impact the school (5-to-17-year-old) and college (18-to-24-year-old) age populations throughout the state over the next four decades.
Utah’s Engineering and Computer Science Workforce
Innovative engineering and computer science professionals— along with the higher education institutions that prepare many of them for the workforce—create vast economic and societal value for Utah
Utah’s Economically Disadvantaged Students and Higher Education
Many economically disadvantaged Utahns never enroll in higher education. Those that do are less likely to complete their degree or certificate than those who are not economically disadvantaged. Economic disadvantage is measured in a variety of ways but this report focuses primarily on an individual's family income from childhood, measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch.
A Visual Guide to Tax Modernization: Understanding Property Taxes
Utahns share a common interest in a state and local tax system that provides for our needs, keeps the economy strong, and remains viable over the long term. This visual guide, which is the third in a series, illustrates key components of Utah’s property tax – the oldest and most stable of Utah’s major taxes.
USHE Data Book: The Costs and Benefits of Higher Education
As a large share of Utah’s state budget and a key input to economic development, higher education plays a significant role in the Utah economy and is associated with many individual and societal benefits.
A Visual Guide to Tax Modernization in Utah: User Fees
The 2020 Census results confirmed what Utah residents already sensed: the Beehive State grew faster than any state in the country over the past decade, more than doubling the national growth rate. Growth brings opportunity, but it also brings challenges, as Utahns need an affordable place to live, water to care for basic needs, roads and other infrastructure to support a rapidly growing economy, clean air to breathe, schools and teachers to develop the workforce, and many other attributes of quality growth. In the coming years, Utah leaders must make significant investments if the state is to continue to prosper[...]