The Sioux Falls School District has a channel, KLRN, channel 20, on our local cable network. On that channel the district runs school programs, informational segments, and video of the school board meetings. It is how I personally keep up with what’s going on as many times I am unable to attend school board meetings.…

On April 8, 2014, there is a school board election in Sioux Falls. There are two candidates on the ballot. The incumbent Douglas Morrison and challenger Roger Russell. If you are unable to vote on election day, absentee ballots (for voters in both Lincoln and Minnehaha County) will be available at the County Auditor’s Office, Minnehaha County Administration…

We have been told that the federal government will not be collecting data on children. The state has said it will not be collecting data and sharing with the federal government. Dr. Schopp and education officials from 33 other states penned a letter to Arne Duncan, United States Secretary of Education, saying that they will…

TO ALL PARENTS: As I have researched the Common Core, unlike the pro common core propaganda claims, I have read and listened to both sides. For the purpose of this letter, I will not refer to any of the groups I am going to mention here as unions or trade organizations. They are advocacy groups.…

On Monday, March 10, 2014, I presented to the Sioux Falls School Board during the 5 minute open comment period, regarding the SBAC Field Test. I simply read the email I had sent to all board members earlier in the day. And I promise, each letter was personally addressed. March 10, 2014 Dear School Board…

Wow! In this well written, articulate blog, a student from South Dakota has spoken out about what adopting the Common Core has meant for students. Both father and child have given permission to post here. The first rule of education should be “Do No Harm.”   A STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE COMMON CORE CURRICULUM FEBRUARY…

SB 64, the bill that will prevent the Board of Education from adopting any further uniform national standards for two years, has passed the House of Representatives. You can read the full text of this bill here. This bill also requires four public hearings before any content standards can be adopted. This bill does not…

I spoke with Representative Bolin a few minutes ago. He too is disappointed in how the HB 1187 vote went, but the pendulum is swinging in our favor from where he started in this battle. And he is encouraged by that. And he wants to encourage you not to give up. The number of emails…

In Part One of this series, Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios talks about the basis for education reform in Massachusetts, and how that state-driven success model differs from Common Core national education standards. He corrects some of the myths about Common Core, drawing on Pioneer Institute’s extensive research to show that the national standards…