Education - The Salt Lake Tribune

Tensions mount as Salt Lake school board talks tax hike

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:19:03 MDT

Tensions mount as Salt Lake school board talks tax hike

by Ray Parker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 10:19PM MDT

Budget discussions got so contentious Tuesday night, one Salt Lake City School District board member left the meeting. Tiffany Sandberg asked to be excused after board member Michael Clara continued to ask questions about the budget, yet none of the other members seemed to understand his point. Clara said he wants greater transparency involving district business, especially as he considers a vote on whether to increase taxes. The disagreement during Tuesday’s board meeting was the latest in a ...

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Trib Talk: Is Common Core an upgrade or ‘cookie-cutter’ education?

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:40:34 MDT

Trib Talk: Is Common Core an upgrade or ‘cookie-cutter’ education?

the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 04:40PM MDT

State Board of Education Chairwoman Debra Roberts on Tuesday urged opponents of Common Core educational standards and new computer testing to “let go of this political posturing and recognize what we can do to transform education here in Utah.” “This is great stuff. Let’s work together to meet the needs of our children,” Roberts said during a live video Trib Talk with Dalane England of the Utah Eagle Forum, moderator Jennifer Napier-Pearce of The Salt Lake Tribune and Tribune education reporter...

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Utah duck stamp champ learned to paint in September

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:39:23 MDT

Utah duck stamp champ learned to paint in September

by Matthew Piper The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 04:39PM MDT

Oil painting came as naturally to Sandy’s Zachary Williams as — well, as a duck takes to water. The 18-year-old’s vibrant King Eider outshone 310 other entrants to win the 2013 Utah Junior Duck Stamp Contest in early April, roughly eight months after his introduction to the medium in an Olympus High School AP Studio Art class. “I’ve never painted a bird or even water,” said Williams, who for that matter hadn’t painted much of anything until he began his senior year in September. “I pretty much...

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Live video chat: Trib Talk on Utah schools and the Common Core

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:41:27 MDT

Live video chat: Trib Talk on Utah schools and the Common Core

by Jennifer Napier-pearce The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 11:41AM MDT

Utah Republicans voted Saturday to withdraw from the Common Core, a set of education standards conservatives believe are “un-American and inferior” and an attempt by Washington to control Utah’s education system. What does this opposition mean for Utah students and teachers? Join a live Trib Talk discussion today at 11 a.m. with State Board of Education Chairwoman Debra Roberts, Dalane England of the Utah Eagle Forum, Tribune education reporter Lisa Schencker and Trib Talk moderator Jennifer Na...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For Utah college presidents, raise in pay, ire?

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:43:24 MDT

For Utah college presidents, raise in pay, ire?

by Lindsay Whitehurst | The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 07:43AM MDT

Utah public college presidents would get raises of up to 24 percent in July under a plan approved by the Utah Board of Regents. The extra money is designed to bring relatively low Utah salaries closer to rates at similar schools, a move Utah Commissioner of Higher Education David Buhler said is necessary to attract the best leaders. “Decisions they make can have an effect not just on students and faculty, but their decisions can also save the state millions of dollars,” he said. “We understan...

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Gun-toting Utah teachers to parents: Your kids safe with us

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:57:04 MDT

Gun-toting Utah teachers to parents: Your kids safe with us

by Lisa Schencker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 20, 2013 11:57AM MDT

One Utah teacher’s worst nightmare goes something like this: A gunman slips into his school, draws weapons, aims and fires at his kids. “I can think of nothing worse than having to witness my students being killed or maimed without me being able to at least attempt some sort of intervention,” the teacher said. “I might even die in the process, but, in my opinion, going down shooting would be better than standing in front of them helplessly.” Every day, the Davis School District teacher carries a...

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Q&A: Utah teachers and guns in schools

Sun, 19 May 2013 01:01:03 MDT

Q&A: Utah teachers and guns in schools

by Ray Parker the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 19, 2013 01:01AM MDT

Here’s a look at questions about teachers and guns in Utah schools. Q: What laws govern how Utah teachers handle guns in schools? A: Utah school districts and charter schools must allow employees, including teachers, to carry firearms under state laws governing concealed weapon permit holders. Salt Lake City School District spokesman Jason Olsen said employees with permits can carry in schools, but their weapons, as state law says, must remain concealed and in their personal possession. Canyo...

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Utah Valley University set to become largest school in the state

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:00:08 MDT

Utah Valley University set to become largest school in the state

by Lindsay Whitehurst The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 18, 2013 01:00PM MDT

Utah Valley University is slated to overtake the University of Utah as the public institution with the largest enrollment in the state over the next decade. The head count of the school’s student body is projected to grow 48 percent by 2022, making it about 10,000 students bigger than the U., according to projections released Friday by the Utah System of Higher Education — a prediction that comes as the state’s flagship school raises its admissions standards. As a whole, the state’s public colle...

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Utah Gov. Gary Herbert talks teen suicide at Cyprus High School

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:16:41 MDT

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert talks teen suicide at Cyprus High School

by Lisa Schencker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 17, 2013 09:16PM MDT

Magna • A string of suicides at Cyprus High in recent years has taken a toll on students and the community, senior Jane Burns told Utah’s governor Friday. “Events like this greatly affect Cyprus High School and the Magna community,” Burns tearfully told Gov. Gary Herbert. Burns, senior class secretary, called the death of one of her friends earlier this school year “the worst day of my life.” Burns was one of a couple of dozen students who spoke to Herbert on Friday about teen suicide, offering...

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Interim Southern Utah U. president named, public meetings set

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:40:02 MDT

Interim Southern Utah U. president named, public meetings set

by Lindsay Whitehurst The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 17, 2013 06:40PM MDT

A former state higher education boss will serve as interim president at Southern Utah University during the search to replace Michael Benson, who is leaving to become president of Eastern Kentucky University. Richard Kendell, who takes over July 8, served as Utah’s commissioner of higher education for five years before retiring in 2007. Prior to that, he was deputy of public education under Gov. Michael Leavitt and superintendent of the Davis County school district. Kendell holds a bachelor’s d...

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University of Utah geologist inspires name of new mineral

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:58:03 MDT

University of Utah geologist inspires name of new mineral

by Lindsay Whitehurst The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 17, 2013 12:58PM MDT

Barbara Nash has spent her career studying rocks, but she never thought one would bear her name. “This is a bit of a pleasant surprise,” said Nash, a geology and geophysics professor at the University of Utah. The mineral, nashite, is unique even among its class: Rather than brilliant orange like other decavanadates, it’s a translucent, streaked bluish-green. Decavanadates are formed when oxygen in air reacts with vanadium ore bodies near the surface in old, damp mines. They’re found in Colora...

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Utah charter schools under new performance scrutiny

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:55:01 MDT

Utah charter schools under new performance scrutiny

by Ray Parker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 17, 2013 10:55AM MDT

For the first time, the State Charter School Board has evaluated Utah’s 81 charter schools in three key areas — academics, finances and governance — creating a baseline for comparing the schools next year. Not everyone thinks it’s a good idea. Kim Frank of the Utah Charter Network, a nonprofit advocate for schools, said she appreciates the board setting high standards. “But I don’t appreciate more bureaucracy and more mandate requirements of charter schools than district schools,” Frank said t...

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Univ. of Utah Ethnic Studies: Don’t leave us in the basement

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:08:27 MDT

Univ. of Utah Ethnic Studies: Don’t leave us in the basement

by Lindsay Whitehurst The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 17, 2013 10:08AM MDT

Faculty of the Ethnic Studies Program at the University of Utah say a move to a tucked-away underground floor threatens the health of their nascent major. The department’s current offices are in Carlson Hall, which is slated to be demolished this summer to make room for a new law school building. While planners say the move is temporary due to space constraints at the U., some in the department feels it’s symbolic of the “debased, marginalized spaces,” often designated to minorities in America...

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National PTA head visits Utah, talks of boosting membership

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:57:02 MDT

National PTA head visits Utah, talks of boosting membership

by Lisa Schencker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 16, 2013 04:57PM MDT

PROVO • The soon-to-behead of the National PTA told Utah members Thursday he believes it’s possible for the group to reverse a trend of declining membership in some states and misconceptions about its politics. National PTA President-Elect Otha Thornton emphasized that the PTA — which has 117,000 members in Utah — is a nonpartisan group that tells its members to vote, but not how to vote. And he said it is possible to re-build membership numbers in some parts of the country. He said the power ...

Students, parents rally behind Rowland Hall teacher battling lung disease

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:52:03 MDT

Students, parents rally behind Rowland Hall teacher battling lung disease

by Elliott Bueler Special To The Tribune

Published May 16, 2013 11:52AM MDT

Learning is work: It’s a philosophy, personal mantra and now magnum opus of lifelong learner, teacher and artist Peter Hayes. And students and friends want to ensure he’s around a long time to champion it. In February, the Rowland Hall High School biology teacher stepped away from the classroom after 18 years at the school to tend to his health after being diagnosed with a life-threatening lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Difficult as it was, Hayes said, even the decision to l...

Students, parents rally behind Rowland Hall teacher battling lung disease

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:40:58 MDT

Students, parents rally behind Rowland Hall teacher battling lung disease

by Elliott Bueler Special To The Tribune

Published May 16, 2013 11:40AM MDT

Six teachers, 22 schools receive arts-education grants

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:25:25 MDT

Six teachers, 22 schools receive arts-education grants

the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 16, 2013 11:25AM MDT

Six Utah teachers and 22 schools and school districts across Utah will receive $65,100 in arts education grants, announced Wednesday by the Utah Division of Arts & Museums. Grants are given to provide funding for comprehensive arts-education projects, either with an artist or by accessing the services of an artistic company. The projects may be thematic and focus on a core curriculum area (math, science, language arts or social studies, for example) through dance, theater, music, storytelling, ...

GOP delegates to consider Common Core resolution

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:20:03 MDT

GOP delegates to consider Common Core resolution

by Lisa Schencker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 15, 2013 06:20PM MDT

Utah Republicans plan to consider a resolution asking state leaders to drop new Common Core academic standards at their convention Saturday. The resolution’s supporters say it’s an important step toward educating Utahns about the standards, which they say are “un-American” and will lower the quality of education in Utah. It’s a resolution, however, that many state education leaders oppose and of which even a number of Republicans are wary. The state school board adopted the standards in 2010, a...

Multiple traumatic brain injuries increase military suicide risk, U. study finds

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:16:02 MDT

Multiple traumatic brain injuries increase military suicide risk, U. study finds

by Lindsay Whitehurst The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 15, 2013 04:16PM MDT

Repeated traumatic brain injuries can significantly increase suicide risk for people in the military and the danger appears to continue throughout the soldier’s lifetime, according to the a new study from the University of Utah. Though one such injury is already associated with depression and post traumatic stress disorder, the report published online Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry, a specialty journal of the American Medical Association, reveals new information about the effect of additional br...

Utah schools to get record amount of school land trust money

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:32:03 MDT

Utah schools to get record amount of school land trust money

by Lisa Schencker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 15, 2013 03:32PM MDT

Utah schools can expect more than $30 million in School Land Trust Program money this summer — a record distribution, said Margaret Bird, director of the School Children’s Trust. Each year, all Utah public schools get part of the dividends and interest earned on the permanent State School Fund — a more than $1.3 billion pot of money generated from trust lands throughout the state. Individual schools typically get anywhere from a few thousand dollars to more than $100,000 each, depending mostly ...