2025

The Utah Education Policy Center (UEPC) partnered with the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah Leading through Effective, Actionable, and Dynamic (ULEAD) Education to conduct a mixed-methods study to identify school-level factors contributing to strong post-pandemic student academic recovery among positive outlier schools in Utah. Building on previous USBE-sponsored research, this study examined eight schools across five LEAs that demonstrated strong academic recovery during 2021-22 and 2022-23 through interviews, focus groups, and surveys with school leaders and educators. The analysis presents interrelated key findings and actionable recommendations for school and LEA leaders to advance improvements in student academic recovery across Utah.

This report shares findings from the 2024-25 evaluation of the STEM Action Center’s Professional Learning (PL) Grant program. Educators and site leaders reported stronger STEM teaching skills, greater confidence, and more opportunities for collaboration as a result of their participation. The evaluation also highlights persistent challenges, including limited time and competing priorities, and offers considerations to strengthen future STEM PL efforts.

This report outlines the evaluation of Utah STEM Action Center's Computing Partnership (CP) grant program in their second and final year of implementation during the 2024-25 academic year. Findings from the evaluation highlighted the expansion of computing programming at participating sites and reported growth among students and educators engaged in grant activities, while also noting the need for continued support in rural areas and strategies to better foster students’ computing identities.

The Utah Education Policy Center (UEPC), in collaboration with the Utah State Board of Education (USBE), conducted an evaluation of the Early Interactive Software Program (EISP), a state-supported initiative to strengthen literacy skills among students in grades K-3 through early literacy software. The evaluation focused on both implementation of the program and its impact on reading proficiency.

This report provides findings from the Utah Education Policy Center’s 2024-2025 evaluation of STEM Action Center’s AmeriCorps Math Mentors Program for the 2024-2025 school year. The report summarizes results related to program implementation, mentors’ perceptions of training and support, and changes in student attitudes and performance.