Projects

Classroom Connections is part of Governor Rounds' 2010 Education Initiative.  The goal of the initiative is to support one-to-one laptop programs for high school students.  Currently, teachers and students in forty-one high schools across the state are participating in the project.  The overall goal of the project is for educators and students to use one-to-one technology to increase student learning of core subjects, to advance 21st Century literacy/content, to improve thinking and learning skills, and to differentiate instruction, curriculum and assessment.

Dakota Character is a comprehensive K-12 school improvement process serving twenty-five school districts in ESA 5, 6 & 7.  Dakota Character will provide schools with a framework to reduce discipline problems, improve academic achievement and help students develop positive character traits.   Dakota Character will support schools and communities as they teach and demonstrate core ethical concepts, such as civics; citizenship; justice; responsibility; and respect themselves and others.

Learning Power is a program for engaging high school students in online Advanced Placement (AP) courses in mathematics, science, and English. Courses are taught by South Dakota teachers.  Students may earn $100 cash awards for scores of 3 or higher on College Board end-of-course exams. Funded in part by the National Math and Science Initiative, Learning Power is supported by a group of business, industry, and education partners from across the state. NSU's e-Learning Center provides courses, South Dakota's DOE makes courses available through the Virtual School, and TIE administers the program.

For more than thirty years, Prairie Winds has hosted writing workshops and events for teachers and students. First in print and now online, Prairie Winds has also provided an ongoing venue for creative writers and artists to showcase their work. Though Prairie Winds had primarily focused on South Dakota and western Wyoming, its thirty-year legacy has left an indelible mark on many writers and teachers from coast to coast. We are proud to continue the Prairie Winds heritage of providing thoughtful workshops, events and publications that promote growth in creative expression inside and outside of the classroom.

Project PRIME (Promoting Reflective Inquiry in Mathematics Education) is funded by the National Science Foundation to help all students in Rapid City Area Schools be successful in mathematics. In addition to RCAS, partners include Black Hills State University and Inverness Research Associates. Based on project results, NSF has supplemented the original five-year award to extend this work into Year Nine.

Power Up 21 brings the work of two previous successful Title IID grant projects (Power Up! & Power Up Plus!) to a new level focused on the institutionalization of 21st century professional practices.  This project features professional development for current and future teachers through face to face events, online learning opportunities, and the development of a teacher network.

Thinkfinity is a partnership between Verizon and leading educational organizations that produces quality, standards-based, commercial-free Internet content for the K-12 classroom, accessible through seven discipline-specific educational web sites.