Education
Proposed child care licensing changes cut required training in half
Child care providers’ annual training requirements would be cut in half, based on proposed changes to child care licensing standards by the state Department of Social Services. Gov. Kristi Noem has made child care one of her leading priorities in her second term, addressing the issue in her State of the State speech earlier this […]
Bar exam critics move to strike testing requirement for USD law grads
On Wednesday, the state’s top judicial official asked lawmakers to refrain from any changes to the bar admission process while a committee studies it. Within hours, a lawmaker vowed to file a bill that would change the bar exam. Rep. Mary Fitzgerald, R-Spearfish, wants University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law graduates to earn […]
New federal student loan repayment plan aimed at low-income borrowers
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education unveiled a proposal Tuesday that would overhaul a federal student loan income-driven repayment plan, and, if implemented, could help millions of low-income borrowers. However, it’s unclear how the agency would be able to finance the program. Many student debt relief advocates also criticized the proposal for leaving out […]
South Dakota’s multilingual population is growing. Advocates say more resources are needed.
Selene Zamorano-Ochoa says her friends and clients can’t simply hop in a car and drive themselves to work or the grocery store like most other South Dakotans. Instead, they use their smartphones to hail ridesharing services. That’s because they can’t speak English well enough to pass the state driver’s license test. In 2020, the South […]
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 […]
Regents creating ‘minors on campus policy’ in response to drag show controversy
The board governing South Dakota’s six public universities is developing a policy about minors on campus in response to complaints about a drag show. The South Dakota Board of Regents voted Wednesday during a Zoom meeting to have its staff immediately begin creating the policy. The board plans to review the policy during its next […]
Mines in Minecraft: Student renders Rapid City university campus in video game
South Dakota Mines computer engineering major Jaxxen Cheney has built a model of the university campus inside the popular video game Minecraft, according to a news release from the university. The game allows users to create worlds inside the platform with sets of digital building blocks. A video of the rendering is here, and an album of […]
How South Dakotans are making child care affordable and available
South Dakota has a tight labor market. It’s even tighter as parents struggle to find available and affordable child care. To bolster recruitment and retention among parents, some employers and organizations are taking matters into their own hands. One major employer in Rapid City has a day care center in-house, and a contract with a […]
Lakota Nation Invitational brings unique energy to Rapid City area
Ask Sage Brings Plenty what basketball means to Marty Indian School, and the boys varsity coach will give you a blunt answer. “If we did not have a basketball program, I don’t know if we’d have enough kids to have class,” said Brings Plenty, who also serves as the school resource officer. “I keep track […]
FarmBots to train students in precision agriculture
Four of the 17 South Dakota schools awarded grant funds for career and technical education (CTE) recently will use the money to buy electric vehicle kits. Two of them will use grant funding to help train students in a more mature technology: precision agriculture. One of the schools that will soon have an EV kit, […]
Students in four SD districts to build electric vehicles from scratch
There aren’t many electric vehicles (EVs) on the road in South Dakota just yet, which means there isn’t a huge demand for EV-specific mechanics. That’s bound to change as more South Dakotans begin buying EVs. At least four South Dakota school districts are banking on it. High school students in Dell Rapids, Aberdeen, Sturgis and […]
Critics berate regents about drag show, and senator pledges to bring legislation
After the leader of the state’s university system announced “process improvements” in response to controversy about a recent drag show, critics denounced the handling of the show and a state senator pledged legislation to address it. The show took place Nov. 16 at South Dakota State University in Brookings. Some commenters on social media praised […]