The public deserves access to critical information that can support student success—especially the parents, educators and state leaders working each day on behalf of students. With this data, these stakeholders can make better-informed decisions to help their students.
A strong state education data system can answer critical questions about the quality of schools and programs, such as: Are school successfully preparing all groups of students to read by the end of third grade? Do students have access to the courses they need to be prepared for the future? Are schools providing a safe and productive environment for students? And, are a state’s career and technical education (CTE) offerings aligned to workforce demands?
Unfortunately, strong state education data systems that provide easily accessible answers to these and other key questions are the exception—not the rule.
Explore the resources below to learn how states can prioritize strong data systems that allow for effective, data-informed decisions for student success. And, as always, please let ExcelinEd know how we can help your state bring valuable information to all of your education stakeholders.
Education Commission of the States’ new policy guide Using State Data Systems to Create an Information Culture in Education explores how state leaders can more intentionally and effectively develop a culture that uses data to inform critical education decisions.
Advance CTE’s new report The State of Career Technical Education: Improving Data Quality and Effectiveness identifies ways states can improve the quality of their data systems to make more effective use of their data.
State-level school accountability is hard to get right for technical reasons, for political reasons and for one reason that is perhaps even more fundamental: there are so many different stakeholders. Learn more in our #AskExcelinEd blog post All About the School Accountability Audience: Who uses accountability data? Why? How?
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Bishop Congratulates Family of Major Brent Taylor
University of Utah to Award Posthumous Doctorate
WASHINGTON – On Thursday, May 2, 2019, the University of Utah will award a posthumous PhD to the late Major Brent Taylor. The degree will be presented to Major Taylor’s widow, Jennie Taylor, at 11:00 AM MDT at Kingsbury Hall during the College of Social and Behavioral Science graduate convocation.
Mrs. Jennie Taylor shared the following comments ahead of the ceremony:
“Our family is grateful to the University of Utah for honoring Brent with his posthumous Doctorate degree. Brent was dedicated to his academic pursuits, and viewed education as a great investment in the future--not only in his personal future, but in the future of this great nation.
“It is now our opportunity to carry on Brent's great legacy with an endowed memorial leadership scholarship in his name. For years to come, Brent's commitment to bettering his community through public service can be an inspiration to future political science students at this great university.”
At the time of his death, Major Taylor was serving as the Mayor of North Ogden City, UT and also working towards his doctoral degree in political science. Rep. Bishop (UT-01) earned a political science degree from the University of Utah and issued the following comments to the Taylor family and the University:
“This is a fitting tribute to the memory of a man whose life was lived in the service of others. Major Taylor deserves our praise for the life he lived. I hope that the example set by his commitment to education will forever stand for the students of Utah and the world. The University of Utah was made all the better by having had Brent walking its halls.”
NOTE: In March of 2019, the President signed a bill into law creating the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation in North Ogden, UT. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is upcoming.
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Utah State's Huntsman School Establishes Fund for Faculty Excellence
LOGAN, UTAH, May 1 — Utah State University’s Jon M. Huntsman School of Business announced today the establishment of the Huntsman Fund for Faculty Excellence. The $15 million fund will create a permanent endowment for named professorships.
For more than a decade, Jon M. Huntsman and his family have sought to enable the Huntsman School’s mission to develop leaders of distinction in commerce and public affairs. The Huntsman Foundation has provided over $55 million of support since 2007 to expand opportunities for students through direct scholarships and enhanced program offerings to develop students who can compete with the best and brightest anywhere in the world.
“Jon Huntsman loved Utah State University, and he loved the students of Utah State University. His vision was to help us build a college that would produce students capable of competing with those who graduate from the finest institutions in the world — but at a fraction of the price,” said Douglas D. Anderson, dean of the Jon. M. Huntsman School of Business and the Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Professor of Leadership. “The Huntsman family’s generous gifts to USU over the past decade have enabled us to continue to create an environment of remarkable opportunities for our students, so that they can personify our motto to dare mighty things.”
To enable the Huntsman School of Business to attract superior talent to USU, the Huntsman Fund for Faculty Excellence has been established as a permanent endowment within the Utah State University Foundation and has been capitalized with $15 million: $12 million provided by the Huntsman Foundation through previous gifts, with an initial match from the Huntsman School of Business of $3 million. The initial named professorships through the fund are:
“My grandfather was a teacher, and my father believed that great teachers played a crucial role in the lives of young people,” said David Huntsman, president of the Huntsman Foundation. “It is my hope that this fund will help Utah State University recruit and retain talented faculty who can have an outsize impact on students for generations to come, and thereby contribute to our community and the world.”
The mission of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business is to develop leaders of distinction in commerce and public affairs. Its pillars of excellence include ethical leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, global vision, and analytical rigor that enable it to be an engine of growth for our community, the state, the nation, and the world, and enable students to lead live of meaning and contribution. For more information, visit www.huntsman.usu.edu.
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Governor’s Suicide Prevention Fund Awards $247,500 in Grants
SALT LAKE CITY (May 1, 2019) – The Governor’s Suicide Prevention Fund has awarded $247,500 in grants to organizations working to prevent suicide in Utah.
Davis Behavioral Health, Encircle, HOPE4UTAH, National Center for Veterans Studies, Utah Pride Center, The Family Place, Utah Navajo Health System and Reach4Hope Suicide Prevention Coalition in Washington County have each been awarded a $30,000 grant. Continue Mission will receive a $7,500 grant.
“In a small way, these grants represent the hope we would like to share with those among us who feel hopeless. We trust these funds will be a boost of support to those agencies that are on the front lines of responding to mental health crises and spreading hope,” said Gov. Gary R. Herbert. “I am overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of the many Utah taxpayers who contributed to this fund through their tax returns, as well as by the generosity of Intermountain Healthcare, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Utah State Legislature.”
“Since the beginning of the Suicide Prevention Task Force, I have been honored to be part of our administration’s efforts to bring light and hope to suffering Utahns. It is our sincere hope that these grants will provide meaningful resources to the nine awarded organizations, each focused on helping those in despair,” said Lt. Governor Spencer J. Cox. “We express heartfelt gratitude to the many Utahns who contributed to make these grants possible.”
Utah Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services Administrator Kim Myers said the organizations who received grants are working to administer data-driven solutions to support individuals and families.
"The breadth and scope of these projects are an important reminder of what suicide prevention is all about: promoting meaningful lives through overall health and wellness, social relationships and connections, healthy and safe communities and tools to weather life's challenges,” Myers said.
The Governor’s Suicide Prevention Fund was created in the 2018 General Session by H.B. 370. The Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health established a grant application and review process for these funds, which are ultimately awarded by the governor. These funds are aimed at reducing the prevalence of suicidal death, thoughts/ideations, and supporting crisis interventions when necessary.
Funding for these grants comes from donations from Intermountain Healthcare, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, individual tax form donations, and increased support from the Utah State Legislature. Funds contributed to the Governor’s Suicide Prevention Fund this year are eligible for a match from the Utah State Legislature thanks to 2019’s H.B. 393.
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Details on how these organizations plan to use funding from the Governor’s Suicide Prevention Fund can be found below:
Continue Mission will use their grant to motivate Veterans to step out of isolation and find a path to healing by providing recreational activities that allow them to enjoy health and wellness programs in nature, as well as providing much-needed camaraderie with other Veterans and family members.
Davis Behavioral Health will use the funds to support Working Minds, an evidence-based training that prepares businesses to proactively address mental health and suicide prevention in the workplace, and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). This program trains participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety.
Encircle will use the additional funding to support programs centered around enhanced learning, knowledge, connection and belonging, perceptions, attitudes, skills and self-acceptance to serve LGBTQ+ youth, families, and the community needs.
HOPE4UTAH plans to use the funds to establish a Statewide Volunteer Crisis Team to support individuals in rural and charter schools in Utah. They also aim to help rural and charter schools prepare to respond after a suicide to promote healing and reduce the risk of contagion, as well as provide QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) training to help individuals learn how to recognize the warning signs of suicide, know how to offer hope, and know how to get help to save a life.
National Center for Veterans Studies will utilize these funds to increase the frequency of follow-up caring contacts post-treatment. Caring contacts will be sent via text, mail or email, depending on the preference of the service member and veteran. Caring contacts can reduce isolation, increase connectedness and increase hope that one’s recovery and progress will endure after treatment. Funding for the National Center for Veterans Studies will begin in July 2019.
Utah Pride Center will use the funds to offer Cultural Competency Training focused around current research, language, and best practices related to the LGBTQ+ community; and how to understand the experiences of and issues faced by LGBTQ+ people and how to provide best services to this population. They, too, will focus on providing QPR training, in addition to providing services like peer support groups, youth activity nights, and mental health counseling. They also aim to develop and support a protocol for how to respond after a suicide in the LGBTQ+ community in a way that promotes healing and reduces the risk of contagion.
Utah Navajo Health System will put the grant toward creating increased access to mental and behavioral healthcare services, providing evidence-based suicide prevention training, including Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and SafeTalk. They will also develop a county-wide plan for response after a suicide death in the community.
The Family Place will use the funds to host a conference focused on resiliency and ways to reduce community and individual risk factors and ways to enhance community and individual risk factors. They will also provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training to community members, specifically Veterans and military, rural areas, and opioid users. MHFA is a public education program that introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems.
Reach4Hope Suicide Prevention Coalition in Washington County will use the grant to implement the evidence-based Strengthening Families program. This program is designed to engage families and communities in building five key Protective Factors. They will also provide Life Skills Training (LST) for middle school and high school students. This program focuses on teaching students skills that enhance self-esteem, develop problem-solving abilities, reduce stress and anxiety, manage anger, build communication and relationship skills, and avoid harmful behaviors like violence and drug use.
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Utah Suicide Prevention: 24-Hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1–800–273-TALK (8255)
National Alliance on Mental Illness Utah: Statewide Crisis Line 801–587–3000
Trevor Lifeline: 1–866–488–7386 - The Trevor Project provides support to LGBTQ young people 24/7.
Veterans Crisis Line: 1–800–273–8255 / Press 1. Text to 838255.
Utah Domestic Violence LINKLine: 1–800–897-LINK (5465)
We love the Spring… a time of possibility, renewal, birth.
This May, Ogden is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike - the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, which made Ogden one of the most important towns in the West.
To honor this occasion, we’ve partnered with Ogden Weber Community Action Partnership, an organization which, through Head Start, is “Opening the world to children and families for opportunities toward self-sufficiency.”
Their constituents have created an installation for #O1PLATFORMS that honors our rail history as a metaphor for the foundation of future growth and success that Head Start provides - just as the 9 rail lines converging on Ogden laid the foundation for her growth and success. READ MORE
Of course, while you’re at PLATFORMS, have a look across the street at #O1WALLS’ three newly-finished #ARTicipate #murals, chosen by YOU the community, from among 9 local artists’ submissions. In our last newsletter, we announced these three crazy winners: “Grow Where You Are” by Emily Munk,, “Bees’ by Jessica Ritter, and “Electric West” by Lindsay Huss.
We’ll host a dedication ceremony later this month, so stay tuned …
On June 1, we’re going to do something really cool and different at PLATFORMS. We’re happy to collaborate with Maceo Paisley, a bronze-star veteran, performance artist, and author, to bring you Note To Self, an arts-based empathy-building workshop.
SPOTS ARE LIMITED for this 1-day event - to learn more and register,
visit us HERE
ARTS / CREATIVE CALENDAR
SOON
May 3: First Friday Art Stroll
May 3: Karina Root @ HippieSkin
May 3: OWCAP at PLATFORMS
May 3: Last Call: MSS&P at Argo
May 4: Spectacular Burlesque
May 6: Viva el Folklore dance
May 6: Don Keipp's Crosstown Band
May 9: OMT - Wedding of the Rails
May 9: Spike150 Browning Home Tour
May 10: Heritage Jazz Festival
LATER
May 21: 10-Minute Operas
O1ARTS INITIATIVES
Ogden First is a non-profit (501c3) corporation established to create and deliver arts programming, in all forms, in the context of adaptive reuse of historic or iconic spaces, organizing venues where artists can create, learn, perform and exhibit, amplified by our city’s architectural legacy.
PLATFORMS
Formerly a vacant lot, now a vibrant, community-oriented performance and exhibition venue
... MORE
PANES
Converting vacant storefronts into temporary galleries, revitalizing pedestrian thoroughfares into vibrant cultural hubs ... MORE
WALLS
Uniting artists and neighborhoods through a collaborative process of creating art that transforms public spaces and lives. ... MORE
XIBIT
Coming Spring 2019, a 4000+ square foot “flexhibition” space for contemporary visual and performing art... MORE
