Starting her career in kindergarten, Dr. Liz Grant climbed the Salt Lake City School District ladder to the top. Grant was selected by the school board to be the superintendent of Salt Lake City School District in July of 2023.
She has made her life all about education.
“I have long believed that education is the path to opportunity,” Grant said.
Grant held a press conference on Nov. 24th with The Highland Rambler, speaking on a number of topics. But what she is most passionate about is providing all students, regardless of socioeconomics, with opportunities.
Growing up and teaching in the district’s schools, Grant has seen it all. After completing her education at East High School and then graduating from the University of Utah with a B.A. in history, she taught junior high and high school history. She then continued her education completing a M.Ed., M.A, and a Ph. D, attending both Harvard and Stanford University.
After maximizing her education Grant decided to return to her roots, the Salt Lake City School District.
“I think that Salt Lake can do things that other districts can’t,” Grant said. “We have the internal talent to be the flagship district in the state and the external support of our community members.”
She came back ready to pursue change and continue upholding a strong district by creating three main goals: improved literacy, attendance, and college and career pathways
“We want to give everybody the skills, so they feel confident to be good students,” Grant said.
Literacy is something that should be improved nationwide. Approximately 45 million U.S. adults are functionally illiterate, reading below a fifth-grade level according to National University. The SLCSD hopes to create a school environment that fosters a love for knowledge and in turn will help more students graduate at a proficient level.
One of Grant’s goals is to encourage young students to explore rigorous classes to see their potential and set them on the right track. At East High School, the “AP for all” program has been implemented that exposes every single freshman to an AP class.
“The idea is to expose people early to their possibilities…and they can learn that they can actually be successful in a college-level course,” Grant said.
Grant’s hope is to make sure that all graduates are ready for college and won’t have to take remedial courses to make up for lost education in high school. But she also wants to ensure that students who do not plan on going to college also have opportunities.
One way that this education is being lost is through chronic absences. Attendance is one of the districts biggest struggles. Schools all over the district are trying different ways to encourage students to come to school. Some are working on educating parents on the impact that chronic absenteeism can have on a student’s education and others are giving out prizes for students that have good attendance. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 27% of Utah students miss almost a month of school every year.
“Whether you are missing for excused or unexcused reasons, you lose the learning that happened in class that day,” Grant said. “You end up with learning that looks like Swiss cheese, it’s got holes in it.”
The district has seen that when kids fail it often times can be connected to attendance and by the end of a student’s freshman year they can predict if the student will graduate with 70% accuracy.
This is based off two things — attendance and grades.
School is not easy for everyone, and Grant knows this. She is working on implementing college and carrier programs that help everyone be successful no matter what path they take after high school.
“We are trying to create pathways of opportunity that don’t just require a good test score that will get you into a good school,” Grant said.
There are two programs that are currently in place for students to start their senior year that can potentially lead directly to a career.
The hotel management apprenticeship was created in partnership with the Grand America Hotel. Students will work part time during their senior year and then continue on to a two-year apprenticeship. The Grand America will also pay for the student to get an associate degree and promises of a job at the end of this program.
The other pathway creates a pipeline to bring exceptional teachers into the school. High school seniors can start working for the district and then continue for four years after, typically in support positions. The district will assist students in getting an associate degree as well as a degree in education from the University of Utah.
“We get the very best talent out of Salt Lake District… and then we take the best back into Salt Lake District as teachers and educators,” Grant said.
Although Grant has only been superintendent for around two and a half years, she has big ambitions for the district and has followed through by creating and implementing programs to help the district and every student thrive.
“Don’t sell yourself short. Don’t put barriers on yourself early. Don’t choose out of opportunity early,” Grant said.
