South Dakota Department of Education
International hires & ‘grow your own’ programs: Schools seek solutions to teacher shortage
Oglala Lakota County schools had zero applications for more than 25 open teacher positions earlier this year. Superintendent Connie Kaltenbach said the school district advertised the positions for months locally, across the state and nationally. But there weren’t any bites. So she turned to the international market. Starting this fall, 26 Filipino teachers will likely […]
SD school districts find compromise between snow days and online learning post-COVID
Whether they sleep with a spoon under their pillow or turn their pajamas inside out – two rituals purported to bring about a snow day – South Dakota students haven’t lost the magic of a serendipitous day off from school. And if school districts across the state have anything to say about it, they’ll always […]
State board approves controversial social studies standards on 5-2 vote
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 […]
Opponents urge board to ‘go back to the drawing board’ for social studies standards
The public had a third opportunity to speak to the South Dakota Board of Education about proposed changes to the state’s social studies standards on Friday at The Rushmore Hotel in Rapid City, and many used the opportunity to criticize the current draft. Wade Pogany, executive director of the Associated School Boards of South Dakota, […]
Noem hires Mitchell superintendent as secretary of education
Gov. Kristi Noem announced Tuesday that she has appointed Joe Graves as secretary of the South Dakota Department of Education. His appointment will be effective Jan. 10. He succeeds Secretary Tiffany Sanderson, who has accepted a job as president of Lake Area Technical College. “Joe is a wonderful fit to lead our Department of Education […]