Policy
Education
Human beings are magnificent. We were born with a God-given ability to learn and the capacity to grow. As Aristotle put it, “All men by nature desire to know.” Education is broader than any one school system. It’s a series of opportunities to learn, which should be delivered in ways that allow us to meet the unique needs of children. The growing diversity of our student population requires an equitable education for every child, which contemplates both productive citizenship and employment and which is delivered by the best teachers – whoever they are.
This vision for education requires humility and the pursuit of good ideas – wherever they come from. We can achieve this by empowering parents to create learning paths as unique as the student, rejecting approaches that undermine decision-making authority of those closest to the student, respecting taxpayers as owners of the public education system, and protecting the marketplace of options and the innovators who contribute to it. Education is necessary because each individual has the potential to accomplish great things. Education should reflect these truths, and we believe it can.
NEW: Find the right education for your child
Explore Utah schools, compare education options, and find a learning environment that fits your family using our new tool: the Utah Schools Navigator.
Published Research
Conversations
-
Find the right education option for your child
-
Find the right education option for your child
-
Utah Schools Navigator: Helping families find the right educational fit
-
Parents know their children best
-
The education debate that's changing America
-
Should every child go to the same type of school?
-
Who decides where kids go to school?
-
The growing demand for school choice
-
Why one education system cannot work for every child
Insights & Takeaways
-
New special needs opportunity scholarship FAQ
Read More: New special needs opportunity scholarship FAQWith all education choice programs, increased choices give parents the opportunity to try new options as they seek what is best for their children, some of which may have negative…
-
The state of education after the 2020 legislative session
Read More: The state of education after the 2020 legislative sessionIn spite of a unique legislative session, with too few drafting attorneys, plus the novel coronavirus precautions implemented partway through, the Legislature should be commended for its efforts to think…
-
Is COVID-19 our best civics teacher?
Read More: Is COVID-19 our best civics teacher?Civics education is defined as the study of our rights and responsibilities as citizens. And nothing forces us to think through our rights and responsibilities like a public health crisis.
-
What will coronavirus mean for education?
Read More: What will coronavirus mean for education?Utah state leaders are wisely asking questions and taking steps early to prepare for the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. We should do likewise in preparing for its effects in…
-
Sutherland Institute applauds passage of Special Needs Amendments Bill
Read More: Sutherland Institute applauds passage of Special Needs Amendments BillThe Legislature’s willingness to pass this program helps protect parental choice as well as Utah’s students with special needs.
-
Special-needs tax credit scholarship closer to becoming law
Read More: Special-needs tax credit scholarship closer to becoming lawThe tax credit scholarship would allow students with an individualized education program (IEP) the opportunity to purchase a range of educational options like private tutoring, school tuition, special needs therapies…
-
Students, teachers eager to tackle issues of history, Constitution
Read More: Students, teachers eager to tackle issues of history, ConstitutionBoth the desire to wrestle with tough issues (rather than settle further into a particular bias) and to freely disagree with their peers is a good sign for U.S. history…
-
Utah Legislature grapples with civics education
Read More: Utah Legislature grapples with civics educationRather than civics education funneling people into a type of shallow activism, robust civics comes from a common understanding of and personal connection to our history as Americans.
-
Sutherland Institute supports Special Needs Scholarship Amendments
Read More: Sutherland Institute supports Special Needs Scholarship AmendmentsEducation is about helping each individual student reach their unique God-given potential, whatever path it takes to achieve that.
