It looks as though many Utah high school students won’t be able to get college credit through concurrent enrollment courses for free in the near future. As KCPW’s Jeff Robinson reports, a bill that allows Utah colleges and universities to charge them for that privilege is close to becoming law.

State Superintendent Larry Shumway received a prompt reply to a letter he sent U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan this week. Shumway wrote the letter to assert that Utah has complete control over its public school learning standards, amid concerns from Utah lawmakers, who are considering a resolution that urges the State board of Education to reconsider adopting the Common Core standards.

A divisive bill that would only allow Utah public schools to teach strictly abstinence-only sexual education is heading to the governor’s desk. House Bill 363 would also allow school districts to drop sex education altogether. Republican Senator Margaret Dayton sponsored the bill in the Senate. In a rare move, she refused to yield to questions from other lawmakers Tuesday on the Senate floor.

A resolution urging the State Board of Education to thoroughly evaluate its adoption of the Common Core standards developed by several states was given more teeth today. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, it now calls on the board to reconsider that decision, rather than simply monitor it.

Without fail, there’s always one issue that dominates much of the discussion during the Utah Legislature’s annual session: public education. This year, issues like reforming teacher contracts, dramatically changing how education dollars are spent and the Common Core standards adopted by the State Board of Education have been debated in the House and Senate. KCPW’s Jeff Robinson sat down with State Superintendent Larry Shumway at his office in Salt Lake City.

A proposal to allow personal income tax contributions for elementary schools across Utah was narrowly rejected by the Utah Senate this morning. KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports on the debate.

A bill that requires individual classrooms in Utah to recite the pledge of allegiance every school day got unanimous support in the Senate this morning. Under SB 223, sponsored by Republican Senator Aaron Osmond, Kindergarten through 12th grade public school classrooms must recite the pledge once at the beginning of each day, led by a student.

Utah’s failing schools may be getting some help in the form of paraeducators, after a bill to help pay for them cleared the Senate floor Friday. Paraeducators have a two-year degree or certification to provide one-on-one instruction to students under the supervision of teachers. Democratic Senator Karen Mayne says they don’t require benefits, their hourly wage is about $13, and they’re more effective than aides or volunteers.

Women who want to be homemakers in Utah should aspire to graduate from college just the same as women who plan to join the workforce. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, that was the message this morning at a meeting of Governor Gary Herbert’s Education Excellence Commission at the State Capitol.

  Segment 1:  Women and Getting That Degree Many women in Utah go to college, but most don’t graduate. According to 2009 data, nearly 32 percent of Utah men earn college degrees compared with just 25 percent of women, below the national average. What can be done to get more women on campus as well [...]