When parents enroll their children who qualify for special education services in fully online schools, that decision was an exercise of agency. Less is known about how parents understand and negotiate their agencies "after enrolling." Researchers interviewed 18 parents of children with special educational needs in fully online schools in…

While recent studies have demonstrated the potential of automated feedback to enhance teacher instruction in virtual settings, its efficacy in traditional classrooms remains unexplored. In collaboration with TeachFX, we conducted a pre-registered randomized controlled trial involving 523 Utah mathematics and science teachers to assess the impact…

Since 2013, a majority of states have been working to implement new standards for K-12 science education that are based on the National Research Council's framework for science education and the Next Generation Science Standards. The new science standards emphasize deeper understanding of content in relation to practices and a three-dimensional…

As education seeks to mold itself to fit the demands of the 21st century, STEM education will continue to be an important consideration. The integrated and crosscutting nature of STEM is incorporated into the "Next Generation Science Standards" in which engineering design is raised to the same level as scientific inquiry and is expected…

Physical education is critical to addressing childhood obesity, yet many school-based programs do not meet established quality standards and teachers are called upon to change. Little is known about how change is initiated and its associated internal and external factors. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate physical education…

This document is intended to help teachers understand and create Student Learning Objectives (SLOs). This resource is a practical guide intended to provide clarity to a complex but worthwhile task. This resource may also be used by administrators for professional learning. As Utah moves toward providing a "Model for Measuring Educator…

How the use of portfolios in the classroom will influence the higher order thinking skills is the main focus of this project. The introduction of portfolios as assessment tools is rather new to educational research, but does offer a legitimate area for serious study. Portfolios when used by students can offer them not only a way to showcase their…

Outcome Based Education (OBE) is a holistic process for districtwide educational improvement. The Outcomes Driven Development Model (ODDM) is a means of implementing OBE that is used in 16 states and more than half of Utah school districts. A study of the impact of OBE in Utah reviewed grant applications and awards as well as state and district…

The opinions of 89 educators in Utah on learner needs and the potential for using technology to meet these needs were gathered through a two-stage process of telephone interviews and written questionnaires. Persons included in the sample were the state's 40 district supervisors plus a sample of "key informants" identified by previous…

This study explored the academic and physical barriers that homeless children in Utah encountered on a daily basis in a structured educational setting. The project was conducted in a shelter and resource center in Salt Lake City. Data were collected from 1 male and 14 female adults and 15 children, representing 15 families. A perceived barriers…

The prevalence of adolescent drug use in Utah is compared with drug use in the United States as a whole in this study. The data were obtained from a survey of 16,000 students in grades 7 through 12. Participants were drawn randomly from 38 of Utah's 40 school districts, with school personnel administering the anonymous questionnaire during school…

The Utah State Office of Education has conducted surveys of homeless shelters throughout Utah for the past 4 years. Data show that, during 1993, 32 shelter providers reported sheltering 4,680 homeless children. Each year, however, the shelter providers report turning away an increasing number of families because of a lack of space. Budget…

Conducted by the State Office of Education in cooperation with IBM Corporation, this study was designed to examine the uses of technology in Utah schools and how the implementation of technology could greatly assist the educational process. Six objectives are specified in Section I: (1) design state-of-the-art technological models to be offered by…

The evaluation of 24 elementary schools in 11 Utah school districts using extended day or extended year programs is the purpose of this summary report. Specific research goals are the identification of program characteristics; program implications for education in general, personnel, families, communities, and the physical structure; level of…

Utah's Southeastern Education Service Center has devised a five-phase vision plan for improving the educational technology infrastructure in the southeastern region of the state. The fourth phase involves the creation of the Southeastern Utah Regional Wide Area Network (SURWAN), which will link all K-12 schools to the Internet by 1996. This…