District Priorities and Goals
Fortifying our Organizational Foundation
The SLCSD Way expresses collective commitment to good governance and collaborative practices that advance our shared vision of excellence and equity as we work to increase student achievement, build a Dignity District, and lead as the flagship district in the state.
The SLCSD Way describes our collective work as an organization. We treat all people with dignity and establish collaborative environments where students can thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. We engage multiple voices as we make informed decisions, focused on students, in alignment with policy and guidance. We communicate clearly about the reasoning and context behind our decisions. We create welcoming schools grounded in a culture of belonging for all students, families, employees, and community members. Across the district, we advance the SLCSD Way by working together to uphold our responsibilities, gain and retain trust through operational consistency and fairness, and deliver the support and resources necessary to be Utah’s flagship district.
District Priorities and Goals
GOAL: 80% literacy proficiency by 2030 in grades 3, 8, and 10.
Reading is a basic skill that helps students succeed in every subject. When students can read at grade level by third grade, they are more likely to do well in school, graduate, and succeed in college, work, and life.
We plan to:
- Help school leaders strengthen their literacy leadership through coaching and shared expectations. Provide teachers with quality materials, training, and ongoing support as they teach.
- Boost academic discussion and student engagement by using structured discussion routines, effective questioning strategies, and opportunities for collaborative learning.
- Explore focused, targeted tutoring and summer learning opportunities.
GOAL: 100% of students on a career or college pathway by 2029.
This means every student will graduate high school with a clear plan for their future, whether that’s going to college, learning a trade, starting a career, or choosing another path after graduation.
To make this happen, the district will:
- Prepare students for college and careers by building career pathways that include internships, apprenticeships, and valuable credentials leading to real job opportunities.
- Partner with the community and use funding to create multiple pathways across industries, from health sciences and finance to public service and hospitality & tourism, so students gain knowledge, skills, and experience connected to local job opportunities.
- Build a modern career and technical center that gives students greater access to advanced courses and up-to-date technical equipment.
GOAL: Reduce chronic absenteeism, including truancy, from 28% to 10% by 2029.
Salt Lake City School District is working to reduce chronic absenteeism. This means making sure students don’t miss 18 or more days of school in a year, even if the absences are excused. Missing too many days hurts learning, makes it harder to build friendships, and can affect long-term success.
Coming to school every day matters because regular classroom time helps students build strong skills, keep up with their classes, and be ready for college or a career after graduation.
To reach this goal, the district will:
- Foster a positive school climate through consistent social-emotional learning (SEL) practices and restorative approaches.
- Strengthen data-driven attendance monitoring by using real-time tools to track attendance, identify at-risk students, and spot patterns across schools and grade levels, helping engage families and communities as active partners in attendance efforts.
- Address barriers to attendance and recognize success to encourage consistency.
- Train administrators on truancy interventions.