In The Moment ... June 8, 2017 Show 110 Hour 1
In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act replaced the No Child Left Behind act as the federal standard for education. The E-S-S-A requires each state to compile its own education plan to meet the new standards. South Dakota Secretary of Education Melody Schools says the E-S-S-A allows states to tailor plans to their own needs. After a year of conversations with various stakeholders, the South Dakota plan is now online and open for public comment. SDPB’s Jackie Hendry discussed the plan with Secretary Schopp. They started with the plans four major milestones: Students are proficient in reading by 4th grade; They are proficient in math by 9th grade; There is an increase in academic success of Native American students; and all high school students graduate ready for college, career and life.
We focus on how Native American curriculum and cultural understandings have been included in state schools and where we might go from here. Three states in the country have laws requiring the inclusion of Native American subject matter. They are Montana, Washington, and most recently Wyoming. We asked Jackie Hendry to look into those requirements.
Mato Standing High is the Director of Indian Education for South Dakota. He discusses what the department of education has done and plans to do to support Native student success in Education.
State Representative Shawn Bordeaux, District 26A, has proposed legislation that factors the perspectives of South Dakota’s native people. One of his most recent bills, SB 165, established consultation protocols between tribal government officials and the Department of Education for future lawmaking efforts. He also sponsored SB 156 which establishes the South Dakota Early Learning Advisory Council with qualified, Governor appointed members, including a provider of tribal Head Start.
