South Dakota Board of Education Standards

A proponent of the new social studies standards offers a statement of support to the state Board of Education on Nov. 21, 2022, in Sioux Falls. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Birth to 3 sees increase in providers statewide despite lower travel reimbursement rates

BY: - October 20, 2023

Those who opposed the state Board of Education Standards’ 2022 decision to reduce travel reimbursements for providers in South Dakota’s Birth to 3 program said the change would make providers less interested in working with the program. South Dakota Birth to 3 is a federally required program providing developmental and health-related services to infants and […]

Shirley Murphy joins Native American elders from across South Dakota who traveled to the Prairie Knights Casino on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation to record their memories and the Lakota language for Thunder Valley CDC. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Lakota is critically endangered. Elder retreats preserve, build road maps to revive it.

BY: - July 9, 2023

FORT YATES, North Dakota — Dozens of Native American elders from South Dakota tribal nations gathered in the Prairie Knights Casino on the Standing Rock Reservation earlier this month. Sitting at tables armed with pens and composition notebooks, they wrote about memories from their childhoods and shared their stories orally with each other in Lakota […]

Demonstrators stand outside the Ramkota Hotel in Pierre ahead of the South Dakota Board of Education Standards meeting on April 17, 2023. (Courtesy of South Dakota Education Association)

State board approves controversial social studies standards on 5-2 vote

BY: - April 17, 2023

After almost two years of controversy, nearly 1,300 public comments submitted and hours of public testimony spread across four public hearings, the South Dakota Board of Education Standards has approved changes to the state’s K-12 social studies standards. The public had its fourth and final opportunity to speak to the board about the changes on […]

COMMENTARY
A proponent of the new social studies standards offers a statement of support to the state Board of Education on Nov. 21, 2022, in Sioux Falls. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Social studies debate shows concerning shift from standards to curriculum

BY: - November 29, 2022

Educators and parents alike have provided concerning feedback for the Proposed K-12 Social Studies Content Standards. South Dakota is at the midpoint of a statutorily required public comment process with four input sessions being held throughout the state. I testified to the South Dakota Board of Educational Standards in September, and due to time constraints, […]

Educators at Harrisburg Freedom Elementary School hold signs opposing the revised social studies standards from the South Dakota Board of Education Standards at a walk-in on Nov. 16, 2022. (Courtesy of Harrisburg Freedom Elementary)

Social Studies standards revision meeting draws nearly 900 public comments before deadline

BY: - November 17, 2022

The South Dakota Board of Education Standards will hold its second meeting since revealing the revised social studies standards that drew controversy again this summer.  A day before the official deadline to register or submit public comments, the Board had received nearly 900 comments from teachers, school board members, parents, school administrators and more. The […]