When I sponsored Utah’s first charter school legislation with Rep. Brian Allen in 1998, the primary goal was to make more education options available for parents, to find the best personalized options for their children's education. An equally important goal was to enable charter schools to develop innovative, cost-effective educational programs that school districts could then replicate and implement themselves. The Utah Legislature has continued to contribute to this primary goal through statewide open enrollment of all Utah K-12 public schools and high school online course choice.
The Provo School District has gone beyond legislative mandates in providing tools to personalize education for students for less than half the cost of what an average school spends per student. Other districts should take note. After all, personalized education is the law.
Personalized education is required by law — why aren’t more schools offering it?
State law requires all public schools to implement personalized education programs in consultation with the student, the parent and school personnel (see 53A-1a-106 and 53A-1a-104).
Additionally, the Parental Rights in Education Law, which passed in 2014, unequivocally declares that a student's parent or guardian is the primary person responsible for the education of the student, and the state is in a “secondary and supportive role.” This same law also requires schools to accommodate a parent’s request to place a student in a specialized course or program (see 53A-15-1403).
At the time the Parental Rights Law was passed, Sen. Steve Urquhart, a supporter of the bill, was quoted as telling the state superintendent of education to “buckle up” after acknowledging that the bill had "potential for great impact on the system."
Under the innovative leadership of Superintendent Keith Rittel and a forward-thinking School Board, Provo eSchool is one of the few schools in the state that offers a variety of personalized education programs for students. And what’s equally impressive, Provo eSchool is providing these programs at a fraction of the cost of what most schools are spending per student.
One specialized program offered through Provo eSchool, My Tech High, is available to all students in Utah (ages 5-18). Parents work with Utah-certified teachers and staff to design a truly personalized learning path for each child, including book-based curricula, online classes, in-person workshops, early college classes and local community resources.
Students also have access to over 25 project-based, online elective courses focused on STEM and entrepreneurship. Favorite topics include Minecraft Java programming, MakerSpace, 3D printing, animation, digital arts, game design, robotics, entrepreneurship and many others.
Innovative models need continuous improvement
Harvard’s Clayton Christensen, a world leader in innovation, reminds us that true innovators need to continuously improve in order to implement lasting change. While implementing these innovative programs, Provo School District has remained focused on high standards, student outcomes, accountability and transparency. District staff have worked closely over the years with the Utah State Board of Education to address topics such as daily attendance, state procurement laws, background checks and community partner oversight. Provo continuously strives to provide the best education possible for their students.
eSchool’s student success stories from around the state are impressive
Thanks to Provo School District, eSchool students in rural areas are starting successful online businesses, and a 15-year old entrepreneur in Monticello made $30,000 in profits in the first six months after launching her company. Low-income students in Davis County are earning professional certificates through Davis Applied Technology Center and are getting valuable internships with local industry-leading companies. Other students are participating in hands-on STEM projects through international service trips. A 9-year old student is granted the flexibility to be tutored by science professors from the University of Utah and a 12-year old nationally renowned violinist is provided the flexibility to pursue her talent. Many high school students are working towards associate degrees from their local universities. This is a small sample of thousands of inspiring student stories.
Bring your community and school together to help all students succeed
When parents, teachers and community leaders work together to design a truly personalized learning program tailored to the individual needs of each child, success happens, student engagement increases, outcomes are improved, authentic mastery is demonstrated and a lifelong love of learning is re-kindled.
Provo’s innovative programs all operate within the current confines of existing laws, board rules and limited funding. I urge every local school board and community to rise up, work together and ensure personalized learning for every student.
Sen. Howard Stephenson (R) represents Utah's 11th Senate District.