Overcrowded Classrooms, Burned-Out Teachers, and Homeschooling: A Deep Dive into Utah's Education Crisis

Overcrowded Classrooms, Burned-Out Teachers, and Homeschooling: A Deep Dive into Utah’s Education Crisis

November 3, 2024

Utah’s education system is on the verge of a breaking point. With classrooms bursting at the seams and teachers leaving in droves, a growing number of parents are pulling their children out of public schools. But what are the real reasons behind this shift, and what untold consequences could it have for Utah’s future? Discover the hidden challenges inside classrooms and the rising movement of parents taking control of their children’s education in ways you won’t expect.

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Debate, Education, Investigation

Nicole Anderson

Nicole Anderson is a communication professional and freelance writer. She holds a master’s degree in Strategic Communications from Westminster College and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Utah. She is a certified Utah Master Naturalist in Wetlands, and has spent many years researching the Great Salt Lake. Anderson co-founded the blog, Summer of Salt, where she spent three summers exploring the shorelines of Great Salt Lake. In 2010, Anderson was commissioned to write, “Patterns of Change” which documented bird and human usage in Bear River Bay, and she later had a role in the 2012 documentary, “Evaporating Shorelines.” Anderson teaches intercultural and interpersonal communication at Salt Lake Community College. She has written as a freelance author for ten plus years. Her stories and articles have appeared in Airboating Magazine, Gateway Magazine, Utah Stories, and Utah Life Magazine, among several other print and online publications. Anderson has a passion to protect landscapes and places that cannot speak for themselves.

Utah Stories

Better Solutions Than Spending $2 Billion on a Gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon

A challenge to the $2 billion taxpayer funded Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola is in the works. What else could that much money be used for?
Gondola Works was the successful PR and marketing campaign that dazzled UDOT and UTA board members and gained the support of enough Wasatch Front Regional Council members to approve the overall $26 billion plan.

The overriding questions are, Why should we be putting so much energy into a $26 billion plan that only focuses on transporting mostly elite skiers up to our mountains? How does this massive investment help average Utahns?
Utah Stories

Why the Salt Lake City Council Should Reject a New Salary Raise

In a letter to the Salt Lake City Council, Jan Hemming, urges the members to reconsider a pay raise for themselves. She claims the pay raise would put the council members greatly above the scale of comparable cities.
Utah Stories

The End of an Era: Farewell to Salmon at the Millcreek Senior Center

For nearly a decade, Thursdays at Millcreek, Midvale, and Draper Senior Centers meant one thing: a legendary salmon entree. But now, that cherished dish has mysteriously disappeared from the menu, leaving many wondering why. What could have led to the sudden removal of such a beloved meal? Seniors who once eagerly anticipated the meal are left with questions—and disappointment. As rumors spread and new dishes appear, the fate of the Thursday salmon remains uncertain, hinting at deeper challenges lurking behind the scenes.

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Independent News

“We’re Criminalizing Homelessness”: Utah’s Growing Crisis and the Need for Collaboration

In the heart of Salt Lake City, where the LDS Church sends aid to every corner of the globe, a growing humanitarian disaster is unfolding just blocks away.
Homeless encampments are dismantled, lives disrupted, and still, there’s no lasting solution in sight.
So why can’t Utah’s political leaders get it right?
Homeless advocate Robin Pendergrast pulls back the curtain on the state’s broken system, revealing why temporary fixes like pods and camps are dismantled, and how grassroots efforts are the only thing keeping hope alive.

“Instead of helping, we’re tearing down camps, bulldozing lives, and offering no place for these people to go,” Pendergrast says.
Read on to find out why Utah’s war on homelessness is making things worse, and what needs to happen next.

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