Just like you, the Department of Education (DOE) was busy over the summer, holding professional development opportunities for teachers throughout the state. Almost 2,000 educators took advantage of these valuable learning experiences – earning credit, growing professionally, and having fun. Here is a recap of select offerings. Thanks to all those who participated!
SD Teacher of the Year George Hawkins leads a breakout session at the Civics & History Summit.South Dakota Civics & History Summit: The Civics & History Summit hosted about 450 teachers in Sioux Falls for a two-day event that aimed to provide them with the knowledge and skills they will need to incorporate the new Social Studies standards in the fall of 2025. The summit featured addresses from Northern State University professor Dr. Christian Pirlet and Secretary of Education Joe Graves. Participants attended breakout sessions that addressed topics such as project-based learning, the history and theory of presidential war powers, and using artificial intelligence to create lesson plans and rubrics. Former Gov. Dennis Daugaard was featured in a “fireside chat,” where he discussed the government’s role in education. Those who registered were asked to bring with them a social studies lesson plan that they created so that they could share lesson plans in the "curriculum carousel," a dynamic lesson exchange session wherein participants were able to share their educational resources that they had created.
PBIS training: The DOE’s Special Education and Early Learning division held its Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) training in Sioux Falls and Rapid City in June. A PBIS system relies on leadership, data collection, communication/collaboration, and a leveled system of supports that intensifies depending on the needs of individual students. More than 150 South Dakota teachers gathered and spent two days working on their plans to support students to increase positive behaviors.
Mentors and teachers spent two days together at the Summer Mentoring Academies, where they learned about classroom management, assessments, and other topics. Summer Mentoring Academies: A good mentor is one of the most helpful tools a new teacher can have at the beginning of his or her career. The DOE’s Statewide Mentoring Program pairs new teachers with veteran teachers who have years of experience in the classroom. To kick off the mentoring programs, teachers and their mentors attended the 2024 Summer Academy. Two academies were held in June, one in Sioux Falls and the other in Rapid City. The two-day professional development seminars featured keynote addresses from South Dakota Teacher of the Year George Hawkins and teacher and author Jonathan Alsheimer. Breakout sessions featured topics such as parent-teacher conferences, youth suicide prevention, and the keys to good teacher-paraprofessional relationships. The academies were well-attended: in total, about 900 educators and mentors participated.
CTE Conference: The annual Career and Technical Education (CTE) Summer Conference was held July 28-30 at Western Dakota Tech in Rapid City. More than 300 educators, school counselors, and administrators gathered to learn about new innovations for CTE classrooms, the best practices for developing and growing CTE programs, and professional development on engaging students and refining their craft. This conference is particularly important for educators new to teaching CTE to build their connections, so it was exciting to see more than 70 first-time attendees. The 2025 CTE Summer Conference will be held in Mitchell in July.
Teachers on the Eastern Route of the South Dakota History Road Trip hiked at Sica Hollow; later, they heard Lakota leaders speak about Native American culture in South Dakota. South Dakota Road Trips: About 240 South Dakota teachers participated in DOE's 2024 South Dakota History Road Trips. The trips were designed to provide in-depth professional development for teachers, to help prepare them to implement the new Social Studies standards by fall 2025. Teachers were able to participate in one of three routes – eastern, central, or western. Each route featured three days of visits to historic South Dakota sites and one day of collaboration. Those on the eastern route visited the Prehistoric Indian Village in Mitchell, Sica Hollow State Park in Sisseton, and the Mead Museum in Yankton. Those on the central route visited the state capitol building, the Sutton Rodeo in Onida, and St. Joseph Indian School in Chamberlain. Teachers on the western route visited Ellsworth Air Force Base, the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, and the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead. On the fourth day, the teachers gathered together for "Collaboration Day," which allowed them to work together to discuss and formulate lesson plans based on their learnings.
