Addressing educator recruitment and retention
Pathways to Teaching
The Department of Education plans to pursue several strategies directed at filling the teacher pipeline in South Dakota. Options under consideration include: changing certification rules to allow certain flexibilities and establishing an apprenticeship program that features a "learn and earn" approach.
In addition, DOE is planning a media campaign to draw attention to the most fulfilling aspects of the teaching profession and encouraging both first- and second-career individuals to consider a career in education
Retaining Strong Educators
On the retention front, DOE has bolstered its support of existing educators by launching the next phase of the successful Statewide Mentoring Program, which targets first- and second-year teachers.
Two new mentoring programs have been introduced: Good to Great Mentoring and Dakota Dreams Teacher Leadership Academy. The first is for teachers in years 3-5 of their career and focuses on increasing teaching effectiveness and self-efficacy in four areas: communication skills, reflective practice, classroom management, and student engagement. The second offers teachers who have taught five or more years an experience-based learning opportunity to further develop their educational leadership skills and to explore possible administrative roles in schools.