April 9, 2021

Instructional leaders, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds are nearly on your doorstep. If the question you are asking is, “How can we intelligently deploy these one-time monies to develop an increased capacity to drive student learning and beyond the life of ARPA?” Then, please think of the USU Center for Schools of the Future as a potential professional learning support partner.

This list is intended as a resource only. There may be additional requirements not included. Information listed may change without notice. School leaders are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the associated regulations.

Charter schools represent a wide variety of educational benefits and their popularity is growing in Utah. Your school offers parents and students improved student learning, innovative teaching methods, increased learning opportunities and greater parental involvement in management decisions at the school level.

Utah State Universities’ (USU) Aggie bull is a symbol of strength in Utah, and especially on its 25 campuses that stretch across Utah. USU’s land grant mission to serve Utah was extended even further in July 2021 when the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) approved the USU Board of Trustees’ proposal to authorize new charter schools in Utah.

I became aware of the many reports and action plans that are required by the state while serving on the Jordan Board of Education. It was clear to me that these reports often used time and resources that would be better spent on students in classrooms. When the Education Interim Committee reviewed A Performance Audit of Public Education Reporting Requirements last year, I realized that this was an opportunity to address this problem. The audit found that although there is not a comprehensive list of all reports LEAs are required to complete, but if such a list existed it would include well over 300 reports. Reports are needed to provide transparency and accountability, but were these reports effective in getting the right information to the right people and did they effectively provide accountability and transparency in the least burdensome way?

Three years ago, I worked as an Instructional/Literacy Coach in Iron County School District in Cedar City, Utah. As observations and coaching were a foundational part of this position, I would catch myself picking up on the culture and climate of every classroom or school that I entered.