Sara Lenz

Utah

Martin MacNeill, Pleasant Grove doctor suspected in wife’s death, returns home from prison

Although Martin MacNeil was released from federal prison Friday, investigators and family members believe that he spent a lifetime getting away with other crimes — including murder.

By Sara Lenz and Dennis Romboy

Tabitha Rain, right, with an associate degree in nursing, talks with Gracie Woodward.

Utah

Beyond the bachelor’s degree: Associate degrees see higher growth rate in the future

At 18, Danielle Allison had big dreams. She wanted to go to Pepperdine and get her law degree, become an attorney and make a difference. But before she committed to that route, which would have included at least seven years of schooling and tens of thousands of dollars of debt, her dad suggested she take a few law classes at her local community college to see if that was really the road she wanted to take.

By Sara Lenz

A report suggests adding a traffic signal and a warning device at intersection of U-111 and Old Bingham Highway.

Utah

Couple pushes for safety improvements along Old Bingham Highway after losing grandchild in crash

After losing their 2-year-old granddaughter in an automobile accident last week, a Salt Lake City couple is working to ensure safety improvements are made at a dangerous intersection.

By Sara Lenz and D. Hunter Schwarz

More and more students are turning to a virtual education, and not just at the college level.

U.S. & World

Online K-12 schools underperforming, study says

A recent report by the National Education Policy Center found that online schools are not performing as well on state tests as their traditional face-to-face counterparts.

By Sara Lenz

Arcadia Elementary School 6th grade teacher Stacy Jones works with students Kurt Bach (L) and Isaac Fuguer in Taylorsville Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. The school has been a great example of using differentiated instruction and it has helped Jones\' class imp

Utah

Highlights from 2011: Education

Never did a blue collared shirt and khakis mean so much to me as when I met Brad Ericksen at Lincoln Elementary School in Layton, Utah, in the late spring.

By Sara Lenz

Students flood the new BYU-Idaho center, which seats 15,000 students, after a devotional.

Utah

BYU-Idaho: Leading by innovation

REXBURG, Idaho — Betty Oldham has seen her fair share of changes at BYU-Idaho.

By Sara Lenz

Professor Kent Davis at BYU-Idaho teaches student Myung Wha Park.

U.S. & World

From wheat field to innovator: how BYU-Idaho is changing the landscape of higher education

NEW YORK — J.D. Griffith walked off the subway and onto the bustling streets of midtown Manhattan. It was an April evening, cold and rainy, and he was a long way from home.

By Sara Lenz

BYU-Idaho has changed dramatically since the 1913 photo above. The Jacob Spori building burned down in 2000 but has since been rebuilt on the same ground.

U.S. & World

On the frontier: How BYU-Idaho is pushing the boundaries of higher education

By Sara Lenz

U.S. & World

Parents arrested for sneaking kids into better schools

By Sara Lenz

Roseman University pharmacy student Jessica Allen is facing more than $100,000 in debt from student loans.

Utah

Drowning in debt: More students in debt and at higher rates than ever before

NEW YORK — Holly Hatfield hardly ever eats out. She can’t afford health insurance and hasn’t gone on vacation in five years.

By Sara Lenz

In this photo taken Sept. 11, 2011, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith (89) gains yards against Arizona Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington (58) during the second half of an NFL football game in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals won 28-21.

Utah

Fran Tarkenton says teachers must be more like NFL players, American education is broken

By Sara Lenz

Utah

Number of graduate students down for the first time in seven years

For the first time in seven years the number of new students starting graduate school dropped last fall, according to a report released by the Council of Graduate Schools this week.

By Sara Lenz

Utah

Study: More teachers today have far less experience

Many researchers agree that teaching experience matters, yet children today are more likely to encounter a teacher with far less experience than the teacher they most likely would have had 10 years ago, according to an article at today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44505094/ns/today-education_nation/ MSNBC.com.

By Sara Lenz

Education

Study: Top young American students stagnate, lose ground; is No Child Left Behind to blame?

Many high-achieving students in elementary and middle school don’t stay high achievers over time, according to a new study released by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute on Tuesday.

By Sara Lenz

An upper level language arts class at Reid School in Salt Lake City practices writing the cursive letter "l" on Friday, September 9, 2011. Many schools across the nation are spending less time on teaching penmanship.

Utah

Handwriting: A formative art or vital tool?

PROVO — At the beginning of the school year, Lance Vandermark asked his second grade class what kind of handwriting they wanted to strive for this year.

By Sara Lenz

In this photo taken Wednesday, June, 29, 2010, a woman text messages while walking across the street in San Francisco.

Utah

BYU-Idaho town outlaws texting, crossing street; study reveals dangers

REXBURG, Idaho — In Rexburg, you may be able to chew gum and walk at the same time, but you can’t text and walk across the street.

By Sara Lenz

Utah

U.S. falls further behind rest of world in higher education

By Sara Lenz

Jenny Wykstra worries that the media gives children, including her daughter Morgan, 15, the wrong message about body image, sex and self esteem.

Utah

Sexualizing kids: No child left behind — and fighting back

Parents, organizations decide to fight back

By Sara Lenz and Lois M. Collins

Children discover relationships with the opposite sex at a younger age when sexuality becomes part of their self-concept.

Utah

The end of innocence: The cost of sexualizing kids

SALT LAKE CITY — Even in a mall in Utah, one of the most conservative states in the country, bodies scream for attention. On a late summer afternoon, a teenage “novelty” shop employee stands atop a ladder in super-short shorts, midriff showing, arranging merchandise. It’s not clear if she knows how very much of her is on display. But the teenage boys ogling her do.

By Lois M. Collins and Sara Lenz

Utah

SAT scores drop, show students not ready for college

By Sara Lenz

Arcadia Elementary School sixth grade teacher Stacy Jones works with students in Taylorsville.

Utah

All for one and one for all: When mainstreaming isn’t working

TAYLORSVILLE — Nine

By Sara Lenz

Vikrant Ragula, 10, and Ellie Hopkins, 12, recite vocabulary words during class at the Reid School in Salt Lake City. The private school splits students up in levels.

Utah

A different kind of learning model: Grouping kids to succeed

SALT LAKE CITY — Walking down the halls of the K-8 school, you can hear students reciting in sync.

By Sara Lenz

Utah

Data, critics question value of technology in the classroom

Over the last five years, more and more classrooms are becoming tech savvy. Students across the nation are getting iPads starting in kindergarten, many classrooms are equipped with laptops for every student and Smartboards (or electronic whiteboards) are also becoming a must-have.

By Sara Lenz

Clayton Christensen and Henry Eyring's latest book "The Innovative University: Changing the DNA of Higher Education from the Inside Out" discusses the DNA of higher education.

Utah

Reviewers call ‘The Innovative University’ enlightening, fascinating and ‘a must-read’

LDS Church leaders had told every Ricks College president since the late 1950s that the little church school in Idaho would never become a university.

By Sara Lenz

Utah

Study: Recruitment of more minority teachers is not the answer

For decades, educators and policymakers have looked for ways to encourage more minorities to go into the teaching profession.

By Sara Lenz

Utah

ACLU campaign, lawsuit pushes schools to give students access to gay websites

The American Civil Liberties Union sent letters out to several schools across the country a few months ago, cautioning them to remove filters blocking content geared toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities as part of the national www.aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/dont-filter-me “Don’t Filter Me” campaign.

By Sara Lenz

Julie Mootz starts her first day as principal at Brookwood Elementary Monday, Aug. 22, 2011.

Utah

Principal’s role vital to academic success

By Sara Lenz

Utah

Poll: Great teachers born that way, not taught

Teacher quality is at the center of the major debates about American schools — how do you measure quality teaching in a classroom and why is America falling behind other countries in educating children?

By Sara Lenz

Utah

For-profit colleges losing their edge

By Sara Lenz

There are many dieting books on shelves for adults — ones about healthy living, losing weight fast, the right way to diet. Come October, they will be joined by a dieting book aimed at children.

Utah

New children’s book on dieting called ‘outrageous,’ ‘horrifying’ and ‘dangerous’

There are many dieting books on shelves for adults — ones about healthy living, losing weight fast, the right way to diet. Come October, they will be joined by a dieting book aimed at children.

By Sara Lenz