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I've seen stories about this on KELO, KSFY, and in the Argus Leader... does this surprise anyone? The stories also claim that SD ranks near the bottom of the list for actual college grads with 4 year degrees... any comments on this?
I'm in this age bracket, so I see that most of my friends DO go to school after graduating, but it is usually at a school in another state. There are only a handful of 4-year colleges in South Dakota and reciprocity is only available in Minnesota andHawaii!!!
Most friends of mine that stayed close to home only went for a year or two, then dropped out or went to a different state. Only one or two of my friends did not go to school altogether. It was kind of looked down on.
Well I'd have to say that in my graduating class of 150+ about 6 years ago probably 85% went to college or vo-tech. And of those 85%, I'd say 90% were in-state.
Well I'd have to say that in my graduating class of 150+ about 6 years ago probably 85% went to college or vo-tech. And of those 85%, I'd say 90% were in-state.
I wonder if the reason that most of my clasmates went out of state was because I went to a private high school and most of my classmates' families could afford it. Public school might be different. Many people from Rapid City go to Black Hills State, SDSU, or USD. Some go to Chadron, Fort Collins, Greeley, or Laramie.
Most people at my school went to Minnesota, Denver, Boulder, or California. One even went to Alaska!
I graduated high school in 2000 in Lennox with a class of 123 students (a few years before the Lennox and Tea Area school split). I would guess that about 3/4 of the class went to tech school or a 4-year school. About 25 percent went to South Dakota State or University of South Dakota (me included) with a little more to SDSU. A handful went to Augustana, Dakota State, Southeast Tech (Sioux Falls), University of Sioux Falls, and other local schools. There were a few who migrated out of state. Some who did not go to college or tech schools joined the military.
Despite the low pay of teachers, downsizing of many smaller schools (due to population decline in a number of rural areas), and growth in areas such as Harrisburg, Brandon Valley, Dakota Valley (North Sioux City/Dakota Dunes), West Central (Hartford/Humboldt), and Sioux Falls, the state does very well with what it has and produces many bright people.
The trick is to keep as many of them here as possible with opportunity. The state is making serious efforts to address the issue and need continue to do so. It should invest in upgrading education facilities, research, and improving education to be more competitive and stem the migration of our best and brightest out of South Dakota. Projects such as Homestake (science lab), Sanford's expansion, refinery (as long as it is done right), and emphasis on research will be great strides to provide economic opportunities (good paying jobs and stonger economy) for the youth.
The educators who care, parents/citizens who are involved (and care about education), and the students themselves deserve praise for making South Dakota 1st in students going for higher education.
I wonder if the reason that most of my clasmates went out of state was because I went to a private high school and most of my classmates' families could afford it. Public school might be different. Many people from Rapid City go to Black Hills State, SDSU, or USD. Some go to Chadron, Fort Collins, Greeley, or Laramie.
Most people at my school went to Minnesota, Denver, Boulder, or California. One even went to Alaska!
Only a handful stayed around Rapid City.
I know of a number of people who were from Rapid who came to USD when I was there. I know quite a few of them and are great people. After college, they were successful.
I wish it were easy to keep graduates in South Dakota, but there is such a lack of jobs. Take the School of Mines for example. Great engineering school, but what can you really do with an engineering degree in South Dakota?
Maybe if the refinery by Elk Point is reality along with the labs going in Lead, South Dakota can keep more of its engineering grads with good-paying jobs, in turn benefiting the local economy and keeping the talent and more young people in South Dakota.
I've seen stories about this on KELO, KSFY, and in the Argus Leader... does this surprise anyone? The stories also claim that SD ranks near the bottom of the list for actual college grads with 4 year degrees... any comments on this?
I think that disconnect (highest percentage of HS going for higher ed yet low percentage of SD residents w/ college degrees) is due to the reality that many SD college grads, regardless of where they went to college, leave the state after graduation.
I've seen stories about this on KELO, KSFY, and in the Argus Leader... does this surprise anyone? The stories also claim that SD ranks near the bottom of the list for actual college grads with 4 year degrees... any comments on this?
It really surprises me that SD ranks #1. Do you have a link to any of the articles? Part of that could be the low numbers of actual graduating kids from SD since the state population on the whole is small. Also, since most of the state's population is located in Sioux Falls and that is a pretty 'educated' town with the large amount of doctors, lawyers, executives, etc. that might sway the results some. It would be interesting to see the non-Sioux Falls rates.
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