Santa Monica's Grant Elementary Named Top LA County School

SANTA MONICA, CA — Grant Elementary School in Santa Monica was recognized as a top Los Angeles County school in a recent report published by USC Rossier Center on Education Policy, district officials told Patch.

Grant is part of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and was recognized in the 2020 Top Los Angeles County Public Schools report published by USC Rossier Center on Education Policy, Equity, and Governance, USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation, and led by Innovate Public Schools.

The school has committed to closing the opportunity gap for low-income, diverse students in the community, according to the recognition.

The introduction to this annual report states, "Our annual Top Public Schools report celebrates the 278 schools closing the opportunity gap for low-income African American and Latino students in Los Angeles County."

In the report, Grant was ranked 9th in English/Language Arts for low-income African-American students and ranked 8th in Mathematics for low-income African-American students for all of Los Angeles County public elementary schools. This study reports on 510 schools that serve at least 20 low-income African-American students and that schools were considered in this analysis if this sub-group comprises 4% or more of the school’s overall enrollment.

There are currently 2,075 public schools in Los Angeles County.

"In the past few years, Grant staff has taken great strides in closing the opportunity gap for African-American, Hispanic/LatinX, low-income, and special needs populations by conducting a careful analysis of data, performing focused classroom observations, providing meaningful and targeted professional learning for teachers and staff, and implementing research-based teaching strategies utilizing a whole-child approach," the district said. "Specifically, Grant’s school goals and implementation plans have included developing effective speaking and listening skills in both English/Language Arts and Mathematics, formulating meaningful feedback between students, integrating the Social Justice Standards into the curriculum, dedicating time each day to social/emotional learning, strengthening skills in Restorative Practices, prioritizing inclusion, and integrating multiple cultural perspectives and experiences throughout the curriculum to cultivate social awareness and social action."

Grant students are provided with targeted intervention services in ELA, Math, and English Language Development as well as enrichment in many areas, all of which help to create a rich tapestry of diversity and a supportive, caring, safe, and engaging learning environment. Grant was named a California Distinguished School in 2018.

“Our entire learning community is proud to be included in this year’s 2020 Top LA County Public Schools report and our goal is to continue to successfully serve every child at Grant and, in particular, to continue closing the opportunity gap for the most vulnerable students in our care,” Grant School Principal Christian Fuhrer said in a news release.

Read the complete report.