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A resolution backing the goal that 66 percent of Utahns hold post-high school degrees or certificates by 2020 has passed the full Legislature.
The Governor's Education Excellence Commission, higher education leaders, public education leaders, and business leaders have been talking about the goal for more than two years. The resolution, SCR5, shows the Legislature's support for it as well. It also sets a goal that 90 percent of students be proficient in reading by the end of third grade.
The 66 percent goal is based on a report released in 2010 by Georgetown University's Center on Education that said about 66 percent of jobs in Utah will require at least some postsecondary education by 2018. Now, about 43 percent of Utahns hold postsecondary degrees or certificates, according to the resolution.
The resolution passed the Senate unanimously on Tuesday and the House by 71-3.