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Utah is at a pivotal moment for K-12 education.
Issues such as literacy, classroom technology, social media, and parental involvement are among the evolving challenges facing students, educators, parents, and policymakers in the Beehive State.
Earlier this year, Deseret News Executive Editor Doug Wilks convened a roundtable discussion with Utah First Lady Abby Cox and a diverse group of educators, policymakers, parents, writers, mental health professionals, and business leaders to explore what needs to be done to best support Utah’s children.
(This story has been edited for length and clarity.)
Doug Wilks: A recent Gardner Policy Institute report highlighted challenges in K-12 literacy and reading. What steps should we take moving forward?
Abby Cox: After last year’s Deseret News education roundtable, I spoke with Sen. Ann Milner, who emphasized the importance of focusing on third-grade literacy to make meaningful progress.
We need to ensure effective implementation that supports teachers. This is not a failure of educators but a community-wide issue seen nationwide. Our educators work tirelessly, but the community must also step in.
We are trying to engage parents who may not know how to prepare their children to read, and there may be opportunities for businesses to volunteer and help.
Wilks: Why are half of Utah’s third graders not reading at proficiency levels?
Molly Hart, Utah State Superintendent of Public Instruction: It’s important to clarify that these students are not illiterate. Sometimes statistics and measurements are oversimplified.
In a third-grade classroom, you won’t find 60% of students unable to read. The 40% reading on grade level statistic requires better communication about what it truly means.
However, this does not minimize the challenges. We must improve so no student leaves third grade without the skills to advance.
Transparency about students’ abilities and needs is crucial to keep doors open for college, careers, military service, or other futures that support healthy families and communities.
Wilks: Tyler, what are you seeing with students? How can we encourage them to read?
Tyler Howe, Assistant Superintendent, Granite School District: Students face many distractions competing for their attention, including devices and social media. While I appreciate the power of technology, it’s a tough competition.
Finding a reading niche—whether graphic novels, series, or recording—can help. Otherwise, students may choose other activities, widening the reading gap.
Cox: In Piute County, where literacy rates have been low, 12th-grade seniors are reading to elementary students. This has led to remarkable improvements in the seniors’ own reading levels.
They read children’s books to kindergartners, benefiting both groups significantly.
Brooke Romney, Author and Motivational Speaker: Previously, when kids finished their schoolwork, reading was often the only option. Now, they can play games like Minecraft, which many prefer over reading.
Schools could offer more opportunities where reading is the primary activity. Similarly, homes that encourage reading tend to raise children who read.
Hart: Parents have rights as their children’s first teachers, but with rights come responsibilities.
Even better than a child reading for an hour before bed is the entire family reading together, with devices and TV turned off.
Wilks: Are Utah K-12 students well-prepared for college and higher education? What are the concerns and hopes?
Janet Randall, Literacy Advocate: There is hope, but also concerns. Students are entering college less prepared than before, with maturity levels affected by social media and devices.
College reading expectations are higher, and many students struggle to keep up. It’s important to show that reading is a joy, not a chore.
Wilks: What role can the business community play in supporting child literacy?
Mary Catherine Perry, Salt Lake Chamber: Businesses can support employees and their families by offering flexible work schedules and promoting family time.
Creating shared, safe community spaces for afterschool programs can also support working families.
Derek Miller, Salt Lake Chamber: People are essential to business success. Without educated individuals, the economy will not just suffer—it will stall.
Hope Eccles, Business Owner: The business community must actively address reading levels, recognizing that children are future employees.
Employers should support parents in their workforce and lead efforts to improve literacy.
Christine Ivory, President of The Ivory Foundation: The third-grade reading challenge calls for honest reassessment of structural issues.
We need to understand why the relationship between parents and teachers is often adversarial and improve communication and evaluation methods.
Amy Garff, Garff for Good Foundation: Our company has supported school reading programs for 25 years.
Meaningful progress requires collaboration among parents, families, teachers, administrators, communities, and legislators.
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness, Jordan School District: Third graders are more than statistics; they are individuals navigating daily challenges.
Our systems need to support thriving, not just academic scores, and consider each child’s unique experience.
Stephanie Stokes, Consultant, Strategic Research, Intermountain Health: Reading positively affects biology, stress management, and even genetics.
Teachers report that the real challenge begins in kindergarten, where early intervention offers the greatest opportunity.
Hart: Reading development starts at birth. Third grade marks the transition from learning to read to reading to learn, making it a critical benchmark.
Julie Cluff, Utah PTA President: It’s disheartening when parents and teachers are not partners.
Less than 30% of parents attend fall parent-teacher conferences, with even fewer in spring. Even if children are doing well, teachers need active parental engagement.
Cox: I want parents to know how much educators love their children.
This is a partnership without blame or shame—just a collective effort to do the best for our children.
