The South Dakota Education Equity Coalition was founded in 2019. It is led by Indigenous community members and advocates who are dedicated to amplifying the educational needs of Indigenous students. The coalition has won the unanimous support of all nine tribes in the state.
Our three-part strategy for addressing education disparities and promoting Indigenous self-determination includes: 1. Organize and educate students, parents, teachers, and community members in three distinct regions of the state, 2. Train coalition partners and advocates on core skills such as power mapping, understanding and interpreting public opinion polling, using poll-tested messaging, deploying earned media, and building relationships with elected officials, and 3. Promote ideas and practices that will give schools rooted in Indigenous culture a chance to thrive.