Education

A child care provider reads a book to a baby.

Are government subsidies the solution to the child care crisis? Lawmakers weigh options.

Legislative leaders agree that the ongoing child care crisis in South Dakota represents a significant workforce problem. Advocates are worried they lack a sense of urgency.

Two students at Bethesda Lutheran School in Hot Springs have a pretend battle using what they learned about the Roman Empire

School voucher program backed by many voters: Poll

But opposition remains strong: "There is no impoverishment of South Dakota public education that is not eventually an impoverishment of South Dakota, and that’s why we're against vouchers."

Preschool students in a classroom use wooden blocks to create letters as a teacher watches

Brain development science bolsters calls for quality preschool in South Dakota

New technologies give researchers detail on when parts of the brain develop: "The first year of life and then the first five years are really what we would refer to as very critical time periods for brain development."

New Native American mentoring program in South Dakota builds lifetime bonds

New Native American mentoring program in South Dakota builds lifetime bonds

A South Dakota branch of Friends of the Children pairs paid, full-time professional mentors with thousands of at-risk children to help them grow into stable teenagers and eventually successful, well-rounded adults.

Students walk on the campus at South Dakota State University.

South Dakota colleges look to raise graduation, placement rates

Each year, an average of nearly 700 out-of-state students who graduate from a public South Dakota university choose to work and live in the state after graduation. State leaders hope to increase that number.

South Dakota universities look to strengthen enrollment through affordability, accessibility

South Dakota universities look to strengthen enrollment through affordability, accessibility

Out of the 8,264 South Dakota public high school graduates in 2022, 62% went on to higher education after graduation, according to the most recent State Report Card from the state’s Department of Education. But with the number of college-aged students predicted to dwindle and as other states

Native American leaders in South Dakota forge ahead with educational reforms

Native American leaders in South Dakota forge ahead with educational reforms

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Early mornings at the new Oceti Sakowin Community Academy are a joyous time for the roughly 28 kindergartners who attend and the two staff members who teach them. Before classes begin, students join in a circle and sing the “Four Directions” song in Lakota, and students