Unpacking Education Reform
By Rep. Kristi Noem
Boy, did the summer fly by! We fell a little behind on school shopping this year, but after searching the entire eastern side of South Dakota for college-ruled notebooks (it seemed like that anyway…), we got everything wrapped up just in time. Maybe part of the delay was that it seems like just yesterday we were helping pick out the kids’ first backpacks. Now, Kassidy is graduated, Kennedy is starting her final semester at SDSU, and Booker is a junior in high school. I’m not sure where the years went.
Even during the time my kids have been in school, a lot has changed in education. Through it all, I’ve believed that those closest to our kids make the best decisions for our kids. So, when I got to the House, I pushed to secure greater local control on everything from school lunch to funding decisions. States, school districts, and parents should always have a bigger say over what happens in schools than the federal government.
For instance, last Congress, I helped get the Every Student Succeeds Act signed into law. At its core, the legislation stopped federal micromanagement. It gave states greater flexibility to spend money in a way that benefited their students most, empowered parents to hold schools accountable, and modernized the Impact Aid program, which many South Dakota schools rely on. Maybe most notably, the new law ensured the federal government can’t pressure states into adopting rigid academic standards, like Common Core.
I believe in the same philosophy of local control when it comes to tech schools, colleges, and universities too. Last year, I helped the House pass the Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act, which among other things would give states and local community leaders more flexibility in using federal education dollars. This way, states can innovate new learning experiences, better encourage apprenticeships and internships, and develop programs around the local economy’s needs. I was thrilled to see President Trump sign this into law at the end of July.
Of course, for some, a technical school or college education is out of reach. SDSU, however, is working to do something about that. This August, I met with the school’s president, Barry Dunn, about the Wokini Initiative. The effort offers programming and support to Native American students and opens more opportunities for tribal students to get a college degree. Because I’m hopeful this program will offer hope, enrichment, and upward mobility for many students, I introduced an amendment to the House Farm Bill that helps direct resources to this program.
Whether it’s the reforms we’ve made to K-12 education or the support we’re working to secure for the Wokini Initiative, each effort is designed to help get kids excited about their futures. With that being said, let me leave you with this back-to-school encouragement for our students (and teachers too!): Find things you can be passionate about and act on them. Be bold. See the good in people. Focus each day on leaving this world a little better than you found it.
Have a wonderful school year!