Student Success
To ensure students are focused, engaged, and ready to learn, the Education Foundation fills gaps.
Student Success
Helping to Fund and Fill the Gaps in Service
MEETING BASIC NEEDS
In the fall of 2018, the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation created the Student Success Fund to connect children in crisis with basic needs. There are 14 school-based social workers in the district, and these boots-on-the-ground staff interact with families and know who has the greatest need. Social workers have used funds to purchase clothing for families fleeing domestic violence, emergency food assistance for parents who lack transportation to access other community resources, and personal hygiene products like soap, bed bug cream, and lice shampoo. Through this fund, the Education Foundation installed washer and dryer sets at three elementary schools. More than 10,000 students in the Sioux Falls School District qualify for free or reduced meals every day, and this fund helps address gaps in service by providing basic needs to families living in crisis.
In February 2024, the Education Foundation purchased two harness car seats and five booster seats for students. District liaisons use these when they are picking up and dropping off children who experience transportation challenges. Ensuring student safety is a top priority, and this was a new initiative the organization supported.
Student Success
SUPPORT FOR NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS
Building Relationships and Promoting Academic Achievement
Native American students have the lowest graduation rate in the district; to foster relationships and encourage students in their educational journey, the Education Foundation sponsors three events for Native American students and their families: the honoring ceremony in May, open house in August, and the winter solstice meal in December. There are more than 2,600 Native American students, and they represent more than 40 federally recognized tribes.
Student Success
TEACHER PATHWAY PROGRAM
Helping Cover the Costs of Dual Credit
Through a partnership with the University of South Dakota, high school juniors and seniors can earn dual credit through the Teacher Pathway Program. Students interested in pursuing a career in education can take two courses and gain hands-on experience in the classroom. In the spring of 2024, the Education Foundation covered the cost of the dual credit for all 116 students enrolled in the spring semester course.
"School staff are on the front lines for a lot of different things. It is a school social worker’s goal to link families with resources to help themselves. But in times of distress, when families need immediate assistance, social workers have access to the Student Success Fund which helps families with food, clothing, and other necessities. As a result, families do not have to jump through hoops when they have experienced hardship. We can meet them where they are."
Patti Lake-Torbert
Senior Coordinator of Student Support Services/
Office of Indian Education