Below is an article published by Aberdeen News:

South Dakota should Gear Up - and it looks like we are going to do just that.

Both the state Senate and the House recently passed a bill - offered by Gov. Mike Rounds - that would set up an Indian Education Office and an Indian Education Advisory Council with representatives from each of the state's nine tribes. This is in conjunction with the $6.9 million federal Gear Up program to improve high-school performance, graduation rates and college entry statistics for Indian students.

The recently passed legislation will ensure that Indian education becomes a permanent part of the state content standards so a future governor can't do away with it, said Marcia Zephier, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, who is on the newly created advisory council and testified before the joint appropriations committee for the bill.

Gail Swenson, supervisor of Indian Education in the Sioux Falls School District, made a very good point when she said the spirit of the bill is to review K-12 curriculum with this question in mind: What do we want all students in South Dakota who go to public school to know about our native population?

The question is a pertinent one. Answering it should go a long way toward enhancing education and raising awareness for all students. In doing so, Zephier believes, we will strengthen not only academics, but race relations.

"I hope that we can educate not only Indian students, but our non-Indian students about the rich traditions and cultures of our ancestors," she said. "And hopefully that will help relations statewide between Indians and non-Indians."

We hope so too. It makes sense to believe that raising awareness will create better communication and strengthen relationships both inside the classroom and out.

The other major goal is to increase the academic achievement of Indian students in the public school system.

Keith Moore, state Indian education coordinator, said the academic success of Indian students does not match that of the general school population. State education office records indicate that - statewide - the graduation rate among Indian students is 66 percent, compared to a 90 percent graduation rate for all students. Additionally, Moore said the average ACT college entrance score of South Dakota students is 21.8 but the average for the state's Indian students is 17.5.

State Education Secretary Rick Melmer was right when he said the project is a huge undertaking.

It will require all new teachers from out of state and those who were certified after 1993 to complete a three-hour course in South Dakota Indian history and culture.

It will also include a pilot program to offer Lakota language instruction to teachers, which could be extended to offer Lakota language instruction to Indian students. And it requires the state Education Department and the advisory council to establish a curriculum in Indian history and culture.

Melmer was also right when he said ''I know we didn't get here overnight, and we aren't going to get out of it overnight.''

True. Ultimately though, it sounds like the governor, the Legislature, the state Education Department and the schools are on the right track. The public should join in too.

Let's all Gear Up - it means a better future for our students and our state.