Utah is barely passing when it comes to education according to Education Week’s annual Quality Counts report. The report grades states on a number of measures, from student scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress to support offered to teachers. Utah ranks 42nd in the nation, down from 41st a year ago and 38th in 2010. Utah scored dead last for its per-pupil spending. 
Overall, Utah earned a D+ for school finance. Utah’s best grade was only a B-, for its academic standards, student assessments, and school accountability. But it earned a D+ on the much more important rate of students proficient in math and reading as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Utah received demerits for a graduation rate that declined by 7.4 percent from 2000 to 2008 and a widening achievement gap for students in poverty. The Quality Count report also docks Utah for not discouraging teachers from teaching subjects outside their fields, not paying teachers on par with similar occupations, and not having a state-funded program to reduce class sizes. Brenda Hales, state associate superintendent of education, said the report overlooked several things the state is doing to improve teaching. The report gave Utah a D in that area, but Hales is confident Utah deserves an A. She has no data for that assessment, but she knows it’s true. No wonder things are so bad.
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