This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah legislators like to compare student achievement in the Beehive State to national averages and to test scores and graduation rates of some of the states that spend more money on education — all the other 49 states and the District of Columbia.
Their point is that Utah students score well on tests despite poor funding that leads to overcrowded classes and underpaid teachers. They are proud that we are getting a bigger bang for our buck, so to speak, a philosophy often referred to as "stack 'em deep and teach 'em cheap."
But that argument falls flat when comparisons are made among states with demographics similar to Utah's: a mostly white population, highly educated parents, below-average poverty. These three factors from a child's home life have a significant impact on student achievement and should lead to higher test scores.
But a new study from the Utah Foundation that compares Utah with a half-dozen states having very similar demographics found that Utah has ranked last or next-to-last among its peers in reading, math and science tests since 1992. In fourth-grade reading, Utah also ranks below the national average.
Researchers at the nonprofit foundation used the National Assessment of Educational Progress standardized testing to make the comparisons. They looked at fourth- and eighth-grade scores in the three basic subjects from 1992 through 2009.
Just as telling, Utah's scores have fallen significantly when compared to national averages over the same time frame.
And, of course, Utah's per-pupil spending is the lowest among the peer states, often significantly lower. While other states' demographics change and some move into and out of Utah's peer group, Minnesota has remained similar to Utah over the past two decades. That state's test scores, and its commitment to education funding, consistently far exceed Utah's, and the gap between Utah and Minnesota in both scores and spending has widened over time.
The study also found that, while Utah's math scores have risen over the years, other states' scores have increased faster, pushing Utah's peer ranking ever lower. Utah reading scores have changed little, while other states' have gone up. Utah students' science scores exceed the national average but rank at the bottom among the peer states.
Utah education spending and students' performance won't improve unless legislators face the facts: Utah is falling further behind, and spending does make a difference.