Advancing Education

The state can be applauded for working towards seeing the importance of distance learning and earning college credits prior to graduation. Now we need to get serious about creating significant partnerships with our postsecondary institutions, including our career and technical centers of education. By connecting our “kids to kareers” early on in life, we can hopefully instill an enthusiasm and a passion for their future.

From the Argus Leader:

State aims to boost Advanced Placement class rolls
Report ranks S.D. 34th in participation

Education officials hope online classes and cash incentives will increase the number of South Dakota high schoolers who take college-level Advanced Placement classes. The state ranked 34th in a recent report on AP class participation. The College Board said 9.8 percent of South Dakota's 2008 graduates passed an end-of-year exam in at least one AP class. The national average was 15.2 percent. It's largely a function of the state's rural nature: Small schools don't have enough students to justify face-to-face AP courses. The Sioux Falls School District said its students accounted for 44 percent of the AP exams taken in the state two years ago. But the emergence of online AP instruction has the potential to improve participation, especially in rural areas. The Department of Education has been offering online AP classes since 2002. For every student who earns a C or better, the state covers the school's $300 fee. Sarah Carter, who leads AP efforts at the Department of Education, said students in urban as well as rural areas have taken advantage. Some Sioux Falls and Rapid City students find they don't have room in their schedule for an AP class, so they take it online. The AP options make high school more rigorous but also give students a head start at the next level because colleges award credit toward graduation for high exam scores. "Financially, they're already that many credits into their college career," Carter said. One program run by Northern State University pays sparsely populated schools for providing AP courses. Another one funded by a federal grant pays students for doing well on any of seven online AP classes. Learning Power, which is run by Rapid City's Technology and Innovation in Education, is in its second year. Students who pass the final exam are awarded $100, and another $100 goes to their online teachers and local mentors.

As is Always the Case, Competition is Good

Paramount to providing a quality education for our youth is also to provide parents the flexibility to send their kids to what they themselves feel is the best learning atmosphere for their children. The state can set standards for learning, but allowing the freedom for parents to send their kids where they wish creates a free-market, private-sector type of system where we can identify where improvements need to be made and discover what great schools are doing right more easily and learn from their ideas.

The cycle of school consolidation in recent years decreases the number of options parents have to send their kids. Like this article from the Pierre Capital Journal states, some parents prefer to send their children to smaller schools for the intimate atmosphere; others to larger schools. Shouldn’t that be up for parents to decide, and not be dictated by the state?

Competitive Education

According to the Argus Leader, teacher firing is a rare event in the Sioux Falls school district.

Teaching is one of the noblest professions, and Sioux Falls has a teaching staff with some of the best qualifications (69% of educators have a master’s degree or higher according to the article). Many of our educators deserve the tenured positions they enjoy, and perhaps even a pay raise.

Considering that the United States is lagging behind the rest of the world in education, even though it spends more than nearly every other country in primary and secondary education, perhaps it may be time to re-evaluate our education structure.

If we were to treat education like we would treat a successful business, it only makes sense that we would let ineffectual and under-performing employees go. In the case of education, this is even more important, in that the goal is not simply business profits, but the education and futures of our youth.

A more business-like structure in education that pays and employs educators according to their merits and abilities would allow us to maximize the education dollars we have, reward our thousands of excellent teachers with higher wages and benefits, as well as giving us the ability to make enticing offers for highly-qualified new hires. A refined education structure, as well as measures such as merit-based tenure like the Department of Education supported two years ago could make great strides to better public education for South Dakota’s talented youth.

KSFY Interview: Education and Economic Development

On Education and Community...

Practical Education...

Lutheran Social Services has seen a 25 percent increase in demand for their credit counseling services, according to a report by KSFY. Money is tight and all of us are trying to make the right choices, whether it is managing credit card debt or our retirement accounts. Read more here…

Part of the reason that we as a society make poor economic decisions is rooted in our education system. Many of us find ourselves in tough economic situations simply because we are not taught the fundamentals of smart money management. High schools require four years of English, three to four of math, and around 3 years of science, but where are the requirements for an economics or financial class? Economics affects us every day, and as we’re seeing now, we as a country do not make wise economic decisions. I do not think it is too much to ask to require one to two years of classes that guide students in wise decision making and will help them in their everyday decision making for their entire lives.

South Dakota currently only requires 0.5 units of an economics/personal finance class as a graduation requirement, compared to 1 unit of fine arts, 0.5 physical education, 3 of social studies, etc. Click here for the full list…

English, math, and science are very critical classes to be competitive in the 21st century economy, yet a tremendous amount of creative individuals outside those fields will innovate and utilize new discoveries and technology to create small businesses. Others find themselves working for these small businesses. Either way, three years of science will not help small business individuals much when they do not have the knowledge to manage accounts or invest wisely. More entrepreneurship, the spirit that makes this country great, would be possible if schools would also, in addition to the critical fields of math and science, teach competencies needed for wise economic decision making in personal and business life.

The Future of Education in South Dakota…

Now that Election Day has come and gone, we can focus on the future of our state as we await the budget proposal by Governor Rounds early next month.

There has been much buzz recently in newspapers and blogs about education spending… and before we even begin to debate increases and decreases we must first organize our thinking to better enable us in our approach to possible solutions.

We must first define education in South Dakota. What is it for… why does it exist… and are we utilizing the best practices to ensure integrated alignment with the current economic circumstances of our age?

There is no guarantee of education in the Federal Constitution… such a guarantee lies within the constitutions of the individual states. For this we can be proud… but it also bestows on us a solemn obligation as residents of the State of South Dakota to support education and its purposes.

Because this is our obligation, we must ensure we are properly funding the system. Education doesn’t exist just-because. It has a special purpose and can be linked to a more affluent society, reduced crime and poverty, increased creativity, innovation, and an overall better quality of life. Essentially it is an investment, and one South Dakota should seriously consider. The knowledge economy of the future requires individuals to remain on the edge of creativity and “consistent change.”

It is in our best interests to promote learning, creativity, and opportunity to the residents of this state for both children and adults. We should look then at altering our current financing practices so education financing in South Dakota can remain viable into the 21st Century.

Education Opportunity…

This year is a record breaking year in South Dakota for enrollment in our post-secondary institutions. We have more students attending public schools than we ever have before.

My question is then… why such a low increase in the amount of Opportunity Scholarships? Is no one applying for them because of the amount? Or are there not enough students who qualify because there are less students in the system overall (due to declining enrollments since 1997)?

Students wishing to get a scholarship must complete rigorous high school coursework and get a 24 on the ACT. Earlier this year there was talk of lowering the standards so more students would qualify.

I think $5,000 is an excellent incentive. Let’s open up the pool by bringing the score baseline to 22 on the ACT and give more of our hard working South Dakota kids an equal opportunity in this state to get a college education.

One In Four... Really?

I read an article in the Argus Leader the other morning that revealed a pretty sobering figure. According to data gathered by the Education Trust, the dropout rate for students in the U.S. is one in every four. In fact:

The United States is now the only industrialized country where young people are less likely than their parents to earn a diploma…

Anna Habash, author of the study “Counting on Graduation” stated,

“The U.S. is stagnating, while other industrialized countries are surpassing us… and that is going to have a dramatic impact on our ability to compete.”

This is simply not a good model for a knowledge economy as this article and a little common sense would point out. Habash further noted.

“It’s as if policymakers haven’t gotten the message that knowledge and skills matter more than ever, not just for young people, but for their states’ economies… and even national security.”

Read the rest of the release and download the full report here. Moving ahead in a knowledge economy will require advances in education… not stagnation. Upon reading the full report, you will notice that boosting graduation rates across the board is recommended by the Education Trust as well as the Graduation Counts Compact, as a mechanism to help in solving this challenge.

South Dakota data, on the Education Trust website (click on SD on the U.S. map), reveals on-time graduation rates in SD at 75% overall in 2003 (p. 7). In “Counting On Education” report, South Dakota’s goal was 80% in 2007 (p. 4)

Increasing graduation rates would be an excellent mechanism for boosting education and economic development in South Dakota. It should be within our vision to increase learning for all ages and professions… so we can raise the quality of life across the board. As these reports suggest, a standard is required by NCLB, but the standard levels are set by the states. As a state, we should consider every effort in increasing our standards for education… not only for our state economy, but for the youth and future of this state.

“With progress on all fronts, all students can enjoy independence and success, both of which begin with a high school diploma.”

Main Street SDSU

Main Street SDSU….(I thought they did education & research)
Posted by PP at the SDWC October 18, 2008

I’ve caught wind in recent weeks of something that SDSU president Dr. David Chicoine is starting to talk to people in the community about. Allegedly, or so I’ve been told, he has a vision to create “a main street of businesses” somewhere on the SDSU campus.

Read the rest of the article at the War College:
_________________________________________

I can understand Pat’s concern but a trip to campuses across the nation would show you in order to be competitive, you need to be willing to move along with the times. Amenities are important to student life and SDSU understands the value of public and private partnerships to achieve results.

The day has arrived where government can’t be everything to everyone. That’s why we (Brookings and SDSU) partner with the private sector to create opportunities mutually in an innovative manner. An idea like a ‘mainstreet of businesses’ will attract people, and you can’t educate and promote research without people. I remember the businesses close to campus years ago that Pat is referring to. What exists in their place today is a much better improvement. I am grateful we can count on visionaries in our community to continue to make things better – in the camaraderie of true collaboration – the way of getting things done for the future.

What About K-12 Enrollment?

I am certainly excited about increased enrollment in the South Dakota University system. The research and development done by these institutions will act as a lead factor in guiding South Dakota’s future. We have much to be excited about in this state. We have an influx of bio-fuel plants, the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, possibly a new oil refinery, and increased graduate programs in science, math, engineering, and technology.

However, I came across this chart which depicts South Dakota’s falling K-12 enrollment, as noted by the article below from the Webster Reporter and Farmer. This should be of concern to us because the K-12 system drives higher education in our state. More facts from the Board of Regents website reveal that in-state students make up the vast majority of students going into higher education… while out-of-state students comprise about one-fourth (26.45% in 2007).



Looking at the chart we can see South Dakota lost approximately 10,000 K-12 students from 1997-2007, a short ten years, with only a slight increase from 2001-2002. This is a trend which we cannot let continue.

I interpret this graph as loss of schools and communities across South Dakota which punches holes in the economic, social, and educational fabric of our state.

While we celebrate the success of higher education in South Dakota, let’s continue to work for the schools and communities that are struggling to survive, because of they fail, the future will look bleak for higher education as well.

Let’s Create Opportunity Through Education…

Representative Hills has it right in a recent article from the Argus Leader titled: "Opportunity Knocks For State Program." He states,

“We have to consider education as economic development.” Art Rolnick, Senior VP for the Federal Reserve in Minneapolis also opined at a conference on poverty in Aberdeen, "Education is an imperative form of economic development... especially in a knowledge economy." I completely agree with these statements. In a knowledge economy, the most important tool people have to succeed is right between their ears. Education plays a very important role in development of our intellectual capacity and our ability to create.

South Dakota needs to re-consider what economic development actually is. Often we get caught up in the model of “job transfer,” where chain businesses are brought in that put a variety of local shops and stores out of business. Jobs are not created this way… they are transferred. The revenue of those businesses is also transferred out of our state, whereas the revenue from the local shops stays and turns over in the community. I don’t know about any of you… but I would prefer to keep my money in my community.

Representative Hills also notes that development of South Dakota’s educational system can help spur the growth of scientists and entrepreneurs in this state. Why Not? I am optimistic about the ability of our students. Let's not settle for transfer of opportunity in South Dakota... let's create it!

Yes… Coordination Is the Key to the Future…

As a strong advocate for partnerships in just about every sector: business-education, environment-economy, environment-energy, and so on; I believe the article by Bob Mercer in the Aberdeen American News of September 20th hit the mark. He focused on his perspectives for the future of education in South Dakota… which coincidentally, hold coordination as the goal to be attained for the future of education in our state.

Partnership, or as Mercer puts it – coordination, is the key component and the critical action step for the future of education. In South Dakota, we are blessed with a low tax burden; however, this also means we have limited financial resources in our state government. We need an alternative strategy to solve this statewide crisis: Collaboration for a common purpose. We all agree a good education is necessary for our children as well as the future of our state. Education is economic development.

So what can be done?

We as South Dakotans must begin to recognize we are in a new era, a new economy. This new economy is based on knowledge. To compete with the rest of the world we need to reinvent our education or ‘knowledge system’. Our knowledge system redefined and on purpose must be delivered effectively to our people. Our people, in a return on this investment, take their ideas and their creativity and they pioneer new developments, commercialize new products and services and they project our state economy into a new frontier.

Our young minds are the greatest asset in our state. Based on the trend of rural community decline and school consolidations, one would have to admit we have not placed our investment in our greatest asset. Are we ok with this? Can this trend continue forever?

Our common purpose as South Dakotans should be for a better tomorrow. We should recognize potential issues and minimize their impacts. In the case of education, there is only so much financial support available from the state. Collaboration and coordination are vital efforts that will dictate where we stand as a state decades from now. And the standard of living as well as the quality of life in our state will be directly dependent upon our success at capturing the wealth of the new economy.

I am optimistic about our future because South Dakotans work hard and are excellent problem solvers… both excellent characteristics of the old pioneering spirit. But as Mr. Mercer alludes to in his column, our leadership in the Governor’s office over the next several years will make or break this attempt. It will take bold and visionary leadership to not only bring people together but to also get things done.

Another School to Opt Out?

The question is, during deliberations over school funding, just what exactly is the cause of the issue with school funding in South Dakota?

The lack of funding in education is a symptom of a greater problem.

This article from the De Smet News notes, the financial resources flowing into a school is dependent upon the number of students going “into” that school.

One can conclude that the number of students going into any particular school is dependent upon the resident population of the community where the school is located.

Mark Sampson, Iroquois Superintendent, opines that it takes economic development to maintain a healthy population, yet, the State of South Dakota has done nothing to help Iroquois with development.

Therein lies the problem: Our strategic plan is flawed. Mr. Sampson is exactly right in one regard, the state has not initiated a development plan that builds and grows the ‘whole state’. It is the fault of poor vision and planning.

We can argue all day long about what isn’t getting funded enough and where. But the fact remains, we must deal with the core cause of this whole issue. We must boldly develop and carryout a strategic development plan by partnering with local communities, leveraging their assets and investing in our education system and economic development.

We have entered a new era; we have left the industrial era and are in the era of biotechnology. It is time for us to shift our focus on what we will do to meet the challenges and needs of our number one resource and asset in this state: educating the young minds in this state.

I wish the residents of Iroquois luck in their deliberations… this is a very serious issue confronting the community. As Superintendent Sampson noted, “You will get only one chance to keep a school district here in Iroquois.” I hope they will chose to invest in their youth but follow it up with a strong economic plan; with or without the state’s help for now.

Thoughts On the School Aid Trial...

Testimony and cross examination may be directed towards the object of the trial, i.e. adequate education; but something more came from this debate today. The fact a smaller school out performs their larger counterparts is significant and cannot be overlooked. Can Faith provide a better education with better facilities? There should be no question about that. The point made by defense attorney, Diane Best, must be couched in the understanding that smaller schools have a distinct advantage at educating our children for a number of reasons; better teacher to student ratios, more student involvement, etc.

The real issue here is this: when will the state make the decision to value education in smaller communities by reinvesting in the infrastructure it takes to continue to provide a quality education?

Education Is Not A Destination, It Is A Process...

For most kids the summer break is a chance to get away from books. Many will play summer sports, swim, and go on camping trips.

The real challenge for us is this: Regard education not as something we do and then we are done, but rather embrace it as a life long journey.

At the rate by which knowledge increases in this day and age, we have no choice but to re-tool our thinking and our perspective when it comes to education: for both kids and adults.

That means we must implement a new strategy, one that inspires people to embrace learning as a lifestyle and a habit, not as an option. And we begin this process, this change in behavior, this revolution if you will, by instilling and weaving strategic threads into a comprehensive and redesigned education plan.

We are constantly bombarded with news articles concerned about America’s lagging performance in education. We are at the brink of needing to make a decision about education: Will we be ready to make the necessary steps to embrace our new economy and the need to meet the challenges it brings?

Our country has been successful over the last century at leading the forefront in capitalizing on the economy during those times. We must wake up and realize we have entered into a new economic cycle. If we are to remain an intellectual powerhouse, then we must meet the demands of the globalized world. We cannot expect they will slow down and wait for us to respond.

According to statistics, because of their large population, China has more honor students than the United States has students. This is a serious dilemma for a globalized workforce. What do American students offer… where can we find the edge? Does our current educational system give them the tools they will need to compete in this new world order of the economy?

It all goes back to where we are willing to go above and beyond to separate ourselves from the crowd. Reading skills are a critical fundamental tenant to a life-long career of learning. Free educational tutoring sessions at local libraries are a great chance to better our skills. In order to meet the call with qualified professionals; teachers, health care professionals and others… we must meet the demand through education.

The Real Problem...

I posted an article on Wednesday talking about our educational system in South Dakota. Many comments have surfaced regarding this piece as other blogs ran the article as well.

I bring this topic up again after I read this article in the Hamlin County Republican. It outlines the same frustrations I have for the future… not the present. As the article notes, some schools have found enough teachers for the coming school year, but others have not. More importantly, trends beginning to emerge show that fewer people are going into education, many leave after a short time, and we are on the brink of retirement for many of South Dakota’s most dedicated teachers. So again, let’s ask the question “why”? Why are we experiencing this symptom and what is the ‘real problem’?

A proactive approach to education will turn the tide and secure our future. We are in a ‘knowledge economy,’ characterized by technology. Education plays a crucial role in this economy, and in order to be competitive in a global marketplace, we must ensure our children are educated for the opportunities for the future economy. This simply cannot be done without the most important element in education…teachers.

Again, we need to first redesign our educational system to focus on the demands of our new economy. Our current delivery system is not effective. Vertically integrating our K-12 system with our postsecondary educational system is absolutely critical to accomplish this task.

Secondly, our education system must be in sync, horizontally integrating with our ever changing economy. To accomplish this high order, we must create public and private partnerships to enhance collaboration between our newly vertically-tiered educational system and the economic drivers in our state.

And thirdly, we must become realistic to the ‘new model’ that will be developed from this vertical and horizontal integration: a model that predicts enrollment, captures quality teachers and is flexible to allow innovation in administration as well as delivery of education to our bright young minds. Within a new framework, efficiencies will present themselves; however we must understand and be prepared to be willing to make any possible new investment; if necessary. The teaching profession deserves a ‘market based pay’ commensurate with the value it holds within our future economy. We are not just competing with other teacher salaries here, we are competing with other technology jobs, etc. that these bright professionals decide to pursue as a profession instead of teaching – because it pays more for their abilities.


Teachers construct our future by molding and developing the greatest asset to the state of South Dakota: the young minds of our students. This is their solemn obligation as educators... the architects of our future. Let’s face reality and move forward.

Discover the World At Your Library…

Discover the World at Your Library was a phrase on a poster in the Hilton Briggs Library on the campus of South Dakota State University. I can’t remember why I was there that day but I will remember that poster for the rest of my life. It seems so enchanting… to be in a comfortable, quiet setting, while crossing deserts, scaling cliffs, and learning about world cultures. Libraries are actually very fascinating places… if one should decide to visit.

We are moving into a technological age and, to the dismay of traditionalists, computers are replacing books in education. Yet the printed word remains at the core of human learning, and I do not think we will ever fully replace them. Libraries are the guardians of that tradition…

Creativity has played a more important role in getting people into libraries, and this is not a bad thing. Once inside a library, a plethora of knowledge and wonder lies at our fingertips. We must breed this fascination to help boost learning for adults and children of all ages. I read an interesting article a few weeks ago discussing the need to foster fascination in children. If parents and schools can develop a child’s curiosity for any particular subject, it will help make them better students (in all subjects) and transform them into life-long learners… something very important in a ‘knowledge economy.’

So it doesn’t matter to me how we get people into libraries, the only thing that matters is that they are in there… reading, wondering, and learning... and using their imagination!

Teacher Shortages are not the real issue… They are a Symptom of the real problem: An outdated and under-funded system.

I think of teacher shortages as a serious and pressing issue. They are a symptom of a struggling educational system. There are many reasons for this:

- Teachers in South Dakota are the lowest paid in the nation, with or without our current special programs. People who have met the call are beginning to retire, but there is no one to replace them.
- Forcing public school consolidation punches holes into the economic fabric of our state by ultimately “closing” communities in rural areas. Subsequently, rural and sparsely populated areas cannot attract new teachers.
- Lack of a ‘plan’ for education has resulted in a lawsuit against the state by a federation of educational institutions, dividing our state.

What do we have to do to effectively solve this problem?

The answers lies in first understanding we have entered a new economy, one that is knowledge-based fueled by technology and within a global theater. For decades our educational system has prepared individuals for industrialism. While this was the solution for the past, it is the problem for the present. There is an old saying ‘if you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten.’ We have tried over and over again to use the same system and we keep expecting different results to no avail.

So what should we do?

First, our educational system must be redesigned to focus on the demands of our new economy. We all know math, science, and technology are key educational components. However our current delivery system is not effective. Vertically integrating our K-12 system with our postsecondary educational system is absolutely critical to accomplish this task.

Secondly, our education system must be in sync, horizontally integrating with our ever changing economy. To accomplish this high order, we must create public and private partnerships to enhance collaboration between our newly vertically-tiered educational system and the economic drivers in our state. Hopefully we are arriving closer to an appreciation for a research and technology based approach to economic development; using knowledge to capitalize on our resources.

And thirdly, we must become realistic to the ‘new model’ that will be developed from this vertical and horizontal integration: a model that predicts enrollment, captures quality teachers, and is flexible to allow innovation in administration as well as delivery of education to our bright young minds. Within a new framework, efficiencies will present themselves; however we must understand and be prepared to be willing to make any possible new investment.

We must not stand by any longer and expect things to suddenly change or go away. Only as we seek creative solutions will we arrive at a better place.

Education is the Key to the Future...

The Argus Leader ran this article yesterday (May 27) regarding my views and opinions about

the role of education in South Dakota. I wrote the article and sent it in months ago... before I started this blog. I don't know why it took so long, but better late than never.