PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem  applauded the passage of the social studies standards revisions by the Board of Education Standards:

“Today is a wonderful day for the students in South Dakota. They are our future,” said Governor Noem. “Now, they will be taught the best social studies education in the country, one that is a true accounting of our history. We want our children to have honest and factual classroom teaching so they can be engaged participants in our civil society for the rest of their lives.”

Department of Education Secretary Dr. Joseph Graves also celebrated the passage of the standards revisions:

“Growing majorities of Americans lack fundamental understanding of the nation’s governmental structure and history,” said Secretary Joseph Graves. “Passage of these standards is an important step in equipping South Dakota students with the solid grounding in history and civics they need to exercise their role as citizens. The board previously approved an extended, two-year timeline for implementing the standards. The department stands ready to support that implementation with professional development and standards-aligned resources.”

Starting in June, the Department of Education, along with the Historical Society and the Office of Indian Education, will start a two-year implementation period to help current teachers learn how to put the standards into practice for our students. Highlights include a History and Civics Summit in Sioux Falls for a thousand teachers, a state history “Road Trip” for another 240 teachers, and a web site to support the integration of state and Native American history throughout K-12 for teachers, students, and parents.