As we seek to establish the best education environment in Utah, we must relentlessly ask: “What’s working?” “What’s not?” and “What could work better?”

These are the kinds of questions our charter school boards, our trust land councils, our directors, our teachers, our paraprofessionals and our administrative staff need to ask as we seek to guide students towards success.

In that light, I’d like to share with you some challenges we are facing in Utah — one in education and the other in civic discourse. Both demand urgent attention.

After a recent conversation with some educational economists, a question was left bouncing around in my head: “Why are so many Utah sixth graders not proficient in reading and math?”

The data is sobering. Only half of Utah students reach proficiency in these foundational subjects. And research is clear. Students who are proficient by sixth grade are overwhelmingly likely to lead successful, self-sustaining lives, while those who are not face long odds, with future success often dictated by random chance.

Colleges of education know what teachers need to do to help 90% of students reach proficiency. Yet we’re falling short. Even our top-performing charter schools leave a quarter of students below proficiency in math and science. If our best schools still have work to do, then the rest of us must take an even harder look at how we allocate resources and shape learning environments.

We are not in “Charterland” because it’s easy. It isn’t. We are here to bless the lives of the students in our charge. We can’t waste a single moment or a single dollar. Parents entrust us with their children because they believe those children will return home better prepared to succeed. That, having spent time in our classrooms, their children will read better, count better and think more clearly, and that we will equip them with the skills and tools they need to be happy, productive and giving.

But the challenge isn’t just academic. It’s cultural.

Recently, an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal reported that 44% of Gen Z are open to violence in response to ideas they oppose. That figure isn’t just high — it’s deeply disturbing, especially compared to just 7% of baby boomers, 14% of Gen X, and 29% of millennials. So why is Gen Z so willing?

One answer may lie in how we’ve modeled disagreement. Colleges have shielded students from unfamiliar perspectives. Adults have equated words with violence and created “safe spaces” that protect students from the discomfort of conflicting ideas. In doing so, we may have taught them that words are violence — and that opposing ideas must be silenced, not engaged.

This cultural fragility has consequences. If students grow up believing that disagreement is dangerous, they won’t be equipped to navigate the real world. They won’t be ready to wrestle with unfamiliar ideas, to listen, to learn or to lead.

Education must do more than teach reading and math. It must prepare students to engage with the world — curiously, humbly and courageously. That means modeling healthy disagreement. It means showing that good people can disagree on important things. It means equipping students not just with skills, but with character.

We cannot wait for a “Golden Age” of funding or civility. That day never arrives. We must act today with what we have today. Every person, every program in our schools must be moving students toward success — not just academically, but socially and civically. If it isn’t, we must ask: “What would be better?”

The crucible of education should forge not just capable minds, but compassionate hearts. We must teach students to read better, count better and think more clearly. But we must also teach them to disagree better — to be kind in defense of truth, and humble in pursuit of understanding.

I am thrilled with the great work that is happening in Utah’s charter schools. I know we can do more and be better. My friends and I at UAPCS are determined to help make that happen. Let’s go!