SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The graduation rates for Native American students in Sioux Falls and statewide are about half of the district and state averages. However, improvements to Native American education make officials hopeful for the future.
During a recent school board work session, these numbers were presented by the Office of Indian Education Supervisor Anna Brokenleg, who’s been with the Sioux Falls School District for 19 years.
The state average graduation rate is 84% with Sioux Falls coming in slightly higher at 86%. However, for Indigenous students, that number is 46% statewide and 44% in Sioux Falls.
Dawn Marie Johnson, a school board member and member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, took to social media to share her thoughts on the data.
“These aren’t just statistics,” Johnson said in a social media post. “Behind every percentage point are young people—our relatives, our community members’ children—whose potential is being constrained by systems that haven’t been designed with their success in mind.”
Johnson said the improvements to Native American education in recent years gives her hope that these numbers will change in the future, improvements that Brokenleg extrapolated on during the work session.
Brokenleg said during the school board’s work session that there are between 1,756 and 2,202 Native American students in the district, depending on what tribe they’re affiliated with, a parent or guardian’s tribal status and whether they self-identify as Native American. This is around 9% of the school district’s population, Brokenleg noted.
The Office of Indian Education has implemented a program to help Indigenous students connect with their culture and language in a classroom setting. The program, Oceti Sakowin Owauspe (OSO), roughly translates to Seven Council Fires classroom.
In the district, there are 23 OSO facilitators in elementary schools who focus on curriculum and lesson planning at appropriate grade levels, mainly around Native American Day and Thanksgiving.
“Those were two areas where we had a lot of concerns from some of our indigenous families about lessons historically that were being taught in schools,” Brokenleg said. “Being able to have OSO facilitators who have been provided with additional training and Oceti Sakowin history and culture allows them to design appropriate, culturally relevant lessons.”
There are 10 OSO facilitators for middle and high school students. Stand-alone classes are offered for middle school students, including a focus on creation stories in sixth grade, history in seventh grade and federal Indian policy in eighth grade.
“(OSO facilitators) have contact with every Native American student in their buildings,” Brokenleg said. “Whether they choose to take the OSO and Indigenous language studies or not, those teachers case-manage every single Native student in the building. They can assist with any behavior concerns, academic concerns, attendance concerns.”
A full credit OSO class is offered to Indigenous students in high school, as well as a half-credit Indigenous studies class for all students. High schools also offer two, full-credit Oceti Sakowin language courses.
Johnson is hopeful for the future of Native American children in Sioux Falls schools based on the OSO program and connecting Native students with their cultures in the classroom.
“The challenge isn’t that we don’t know how to help students succeed,” Johnson said in her social media post. “The challenge is ensuring these proven approaches reach every student, including those in alternative placements where many of our Native students are concentrated.”
She’s hoping they can extend their approach to other areas where Native students learn.
“Every Native child who walks through our school doors carries the dreams of their ancestors and the potential to shape their community’s future. Our job is to ensure our systems support those dreams rather than constrain them,” Johnson said.
