Section 53B-18-801 - Establishment of the center - Purpose - Duties and responsibilities(1) There is hereby established the Center for the School of the Future at Utah State University, hereafter referred to as "the center."(2)(a) The purpose of the center is to promote best practices in the state's public education system and encourage cooperative and research development relationships between public and higher education.(b) For purposes of this section "best practices" means the best process or system that effectively achieves an educational objective.(3) The center has the following duties and responsibilities: (a) to direct its efforts to those education issues judged to be of greatest importance by the State Board of Education, school districts, and their patrons, subject to the availability of funds to sustain its efforts;(b) to coordinate and collaborate with education stakeholders, such as institutions of higher education, the State Board of Education, school districts, parent-teacher organizations, and other public and private educational interests in identifying or developing and then implementing best practices throughout the state's public education system;(c) to contribute to the creation and maintenance of a public education system that continually and systematically improves itself by building upon the most effective education policies, programs, and practices and rejecting those that are less effective;(d) to identify problems and challenges in providing educational and related services to all students in the public schools, including special education students and students at risk;(e) to identify current public and private resources at both the state and national level that are available to resolve problems or overcome challenges within the public education system and seek additional resources as necessary; and(f) to support the implementation of best practices in the public education system through professional development programs and dissemination of information.(4) The center in collaboration with the State Board of Education shall:(a) clarify the problems and challenges identified under this section, identify desired outcomes, and agree upon measures of outcomes;(b) prioritize the problems and challenges;(c) identify readily accessible resources to solve problems and challenges, including best practices that could be implemented with little or no adaptation;(d) determine whether new programs or procedures should be developed, and estimate the extent of effort required for that development;(e) determine which existing programs should be eliminated; and(f) assist in implementing solutions, monitoring accomplishments, disseminating results, and facilitating the extension of successful efforts to new settings.Amended by Chapter 144, 2016 General Session ,§ 42, eff. 5/10/2016.Enacted by Chapter 333, 1999 General Session