INFLUENCE WORK

A GIft to All: Utah Public Education
“A Gift to All: Utah Public Education” is a brochure created with the sponsorship of ASCD and developed by twenty educational organizations in the state of Utah who worked under the name of The Teaching and Learning Coalition.  This coalition describes what good educational practice could look like in the state, creates a common vocabulary amongst educators, and influences legislators as they contemplate educational policy.  This brochure is meant to be printed and distributed.

Day on the Hill
The Utah Affiliate of ASCD hosted its very own “Day on the Hill” in January.  Board members contacted their local representatives and offered an unbiased view of local education issues before our state legislature last year.

Key points in the discussions included the challenges and unrealistic expectations of implementing No Child Left Behind, funding for Gifted Education, and the key role professional development plays in implementing new policy.  Senator Orrin Hatch has been appointed to the reauthorization committee for No Child Left Behind.  We were pleased to learn that he has brought in Vance Randall to advise him through that process.

“Day on the Hill” in Utah was incredibly successful as board members educated key policy makers and developed trusting and long lasting relationships with elected officials.  The goal is to offer UASCD as a trusted voice in education; an organization by which legislators can contact for information on key issues.

The Strategic Plan report published by ASCD commits itself to informing decision makers on the best educational practices.  From the same publication, “Just as increased access to relevant research findings will change the day-to-day practice of professional educators, it will change the practice of educational policymakers as well.  Educators accustomed to relying on research to inform their practice will expect the same of the national, state and local policymakers who define the context of education.  These policymakers will rely on distilled research findings and trusted practitioners committed to excellence and equity.”

UASCD is committed to the same and each year, we bring added perspective to the Utah State Legislature.