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Distance Education

Bridging educational gaps with distance education

The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Teachers and Students has identified distance education as one solution to South Dakota’s teacher shortage, but experts say it’s not a fail-proof solution.

Angie Baszler, 34, has been substitute teaching in DeSmet, S.D., while pursuing a teaching certificate online. Baszler, who has both bachelor's and master's degrees in business and held a prestigious position at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D., before becoming a stay-at-home mom and working in economic development part-time in DeSmet, said she and other moms may be the answer to South Dakota's teacher shortage issue. (submitted photo)

Mothers can bring experience to classrooms through ‘encore careers’

by Anna Jauhola and Wendy Royston, Dakotafire Media Perhaps the answer to South Dakota’s teacher shortage doesn’t lie in recruiting this year’s high school seniors to the profession or retaining next year’s education grads within our borders. Maybe the answer… 

Changing the way we educate educators could be one answer

By Tasi Livermont, for Dakotafire with additional reporting by Doug Card, The Britton Journal and Wendy Royston, Dakotafire Media Should future teachers have to spend as much time sitting in desks to earn the right to stand at the front… 

Some S.D. schools have given up on filling teacher vacancies

By Tasi Livermont, for Dakotafire with additional reporting by Doug Card, The Britton Journal; Jody Moritz, Faulk County Record; and Wendy Royston, Dakotafire Media With a hope and a prayer, school districts across South Dakota attempted to fill vacant teaching…