Thousands of South Dakotans recently experienced the exciting time of year again: back to school. The annual back-to-school rite means many different things to different groups. For kindergarten and elementary students, back-to-school time is often as exciting as a brand new box of crayons or backpack. For junior high and high school students, it may mean new freedoms they were not allowed in lower grades (such as open campus for lunch or taking elective courses) or getting the latest fashions to wear. For those attending postsecondary institutes, back to school often means moving away from home for the first time and finding a roommate, among many other things.

For parents, back to school means getting their families back into routine schedules after greater freedoms during the summer vacation months. It impacts nearly all of us in one way or another; for example, with heavier traffic and the need for greater driver caution in school zones.  Back-to-school time is almost a season in itself when you stop and think about all the people it affects and even the economic impact it has. 

Back-to-school shopping 

For one, the back-to-school “season” means increased sales as students, and their parents shop for new clothes and school supplies. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over $7 billion was spent at family clothing stores nationwide in August 2006.  Only in the holiday shopping months of November and December were sales significantly higher. Similarly, sales at bookstores in August 2006 totaled $2.1 billion, an amount approached in 2006 only by sales in January and December.

 Options abound for back-to-school shopping.  Nationally, there are about 131,500 clothing and clothing accessory stores; South Dakota has over 350.  General merchandise stores (such as department stores and discount department stores) number nearly 50,000 nationally; South Dakota offers more than 180 such options for back-to-school shopping.  (Sources: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Labor Market Information Center, S.D. Department of Labor, 2006) 

Back to the books:  The end of summer

Tourism-driven businesses in the state note declining sales and cut back on staff as the summer vacation season winds down, undoubtedly due in part to families’ peak vacation season ending as their children return to school.  For example, worker levels in South Dakota’s accommodation industry (hotels, motels, RV parks, etc.) have declined by more than nine percent to nearly 15 percent from August to September each of the last few years.  Likewise, employment levels in the state’s food services and drinking places industry have dropped from five percent to slightly over six percent from August to September over the past several years. (Sources: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Labor Market Information Center, S.D. Department of Labor, 2006)

Where the bells are ringing: Schools

There were 95,726 public elementary and secondary schools in the nation in 2003-04 (the most current data available).  South Dakota had 721 public schools during that same time, which dropped to 703 for the 2006-2007 school year.  (Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, S.D. Department of Education)

Those filling the desk seats: Students

Nationwide, there were 75.8 million children and adults enrolled in school in October 2005, from nursery school to college.  That amounts to about one quarter of the nation’s population three and older.  (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

According to the latest statistics available from the South Dakota Department of Education, kindergarten through 12^th grade enrollment in the state is about 136,800. Add to that the 30,900 enrolled at the state’s public universities (according to the latest data available from the Board of Regents), 5,750 students at the state’s technical institutes, and the 11,200 attending the state’s private degree-granting institutions (from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System). That means roughly 184,650 students experienced the back-to-school rite in South Dakota.   

The business of education

According to preliminary estimates, South Dakota has approximately 18,700 wage and salaried workers employed in local government education or local school districts as of August 2007. Another 7,400 workers can be found on payrolls at the state’s education facilities. Additionally, about 6,300 wage and salaried workers in the state are employed in the educational services industry (private elementary and secondary schools, business schools, private colleges, etc.). (Source: Labor Market Information Center, S.D. Department of Labor)

The outlook for those interested in becoming South Dakota’s future educators looks bright. All of the following education occupations are projected to show double-digit growth to 2014. The overall projected outlook is projected to be fair, favorable or very favorable for nearly all of these career options. 

South Dakota Projections for Education Occupations
Occupation	SD Workers 2004	SD Workers 2014	SD Percent Change	SD Workers Needed Yearly	SD Job Outlook
Elementary & Secondary Educators
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School	660	732	11%	24	Fair
Elementary School Teachers	4,605	5,121	11%	153	Favorable
Kindergarten Teachers	461	514	11%	11	Favorable
Middle School Teachers	1,868	2,062	10%	61	Fair
Secondary School Teachers	3,428	3,793	11%	133	Fair
Special Education Teachers, Middle School	242	270	12%	9	Favorable
Special Education Teachers, Preschool, Kindergarten and Elementary School	619	695	12%	22	Favorable
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School	435	486	12%	16	Favorable
Teacher Assistants	5,462	6,169	13%	176	Fair
Technical/Vocational Education Teachers, Secondary School	334	378	13%	14	Fair
Postsecondary Educators
Art, Drama and Music Teachers, Postsecondary	156	183	17%	6	Favorable
Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary	130	150	15%	5	Fair
Business Teachers, Postsecondary	200	235	18%	8	Very favorable
Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary	55	65	18%	2	Fair
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary	68	79	16%	3	Fair
Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary	116	135	16%	5	Fair
Education Administrators, Postsecondary	155	178	15%	6	Favorable
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	138	162	17%	6	Favorable
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary	81	93	15%	3	Fair
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary	133	157	18%	5	Fair
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary	36	42	17%	1	Fair
Graduate Teaching Assistants	267	307	15%	10	Unfavorable
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	109	128	17%	4	Fair
History Teachers, Postsecondary	50	59	18%	2	Favorable
Home Economics Teachers, Postsecondary	34	40	18%	1	Favorable
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary	97	114	18%	4	Fair
Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary	132	154	17%	5	Fair
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary	41	49	20%	2	Favorable
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary	30	34	13%	1	Fair
Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary	35	40	14%	1	Fair
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary	67	80	19%	3	Fair
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary	137	161	18%	6	Very favorable
Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary	50	58	16%	2	Favorable
Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary	40	47	18%	2	Fair
Vocational Education Teachers, Postsecondary	231	279	21%	10	Favorable

Much like the ancient African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” so it takes even more types of workers than those listed above to make educational facilities run smoothly and take care of all the needs of students.  Other occupations commonly employed at elementary and secondary schools in South Dakota include janitors and cleaners, general maintenance and repair workers, school bus drivers, secretaries, cooks, food preparation workers, cafeteria counter attendants, dishwashers, coaches, library technical assistants, librarians, instructional coordinators, speech-language pathologists, bookkeeping clerks, general managers, office clerks, accountants, network and computer system administrators, computer support specialists, registered nurses, school social workers and in some cases, even security guards. (Source: Labor Market Information Center, S.D. Department of Labor)

Making the grade: Performance

According to the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), sometimes referred to as the nation’s report card, South Dakota students in both grade four and grade eight outperform their nationwide counterparts in math, English and science based on results of this national standardized test.  South Dakota students on average scored at least five points higher in both of these grades and in each of the three subject areas than the average of students nationwide in 2005. (Source: 2007 Annual Report, S.D. Department of Education)

Similarly, South Dakota students achieve better marks on the America’s College Test (ACT), a curriculum-based achievement test commonly used as a guideline for admission to institutions of higher education.  The average composite score of South Dakota students taking the ACT in 2006-2007 was 21.8, compared to the national average of 21.1.  South Dakota students have consistently performed better than students nationally in composite scores each of the last five years. The ACT is made up of four separate exams in English, reading, math and science.  South Dakota students especially shine in math, where ACT scores average 21.6 compared to their national counterparts’ average score of 20.8.  (Source:  2007 Annual Report, S.D. Department of Education) 

Pomp and circumstance: Graduation rates  

South Dakota’s high school graduation rate was 83.7 percent for the 2003-04 school year (the most recent year for which comparative state and national data is available). Again, South Dakota students outperformed students nationally, where the graduation rate was 74.3 percent.  This graduation rate is based on the number of graduates divided by the estimated count of freshmen four years earlier.  (Source: National Center for Education Statistics) 

The tassel is worth the hassle: It pays to stay in school

When the points of those new crayons are no longer sharp, the “fresh start” feeling of a new school year begins to wane, and students begin to tire of the educational process, a reminder of how it pays to stay in school may be helpful. As we can see in the table below, education definitely does pay.  Based on the average annual salaries of occupations grouped by the level of education recommended, the more advanced the education level, the higher the pay in nearly all cases.  The only exceptions are those where the powerful combination of education and related work experience prevail.

South Dakota 2007 Average Occupational Wages by Educational Level Preferred by Employers
Educational/Training Level Preferred by Employers	Average Wage
Short- to Moderate- Term On-the-Job Training	$10.87
Work Experience	$15.33
Post Secondary Education & Work Experience or Long-term On-the-Job Training	$17.32
Post Secondary Education at Less than the Associate Level	$13.65
Associate Degree	$19.00
Bachelor's Degree	$20.93
Bachelor's Degree or Higher and Work Experience	$37.08
Master's Degree	$25.12
Doctoral Degree	$28.62
First Professional Degree	$53.14
All Occupations	$15.12

Stats backpack: A hodgepodge of other fun national education-related statistics  

• Of those children enrolled in kindergarten, 70 percent attended all day as of October 2005.  (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

• Nationally, there are 10.5 million school-age children (ages 5 to 17) who speak a language other than English at home. This is about one in five within this age group. Most of them (7.5 million) speak Spanish at home. (Source: 2005 American Community Survey)

• The average number of children who participated in the national school lunch program was about 30.1 million in 2006. (Source: 2008 Upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States)

• How about that ‘apple for the teacher’ concept associated with back to school?  About 10 billion pounds of apples were produced in the United States in 2006.  Washington leads all states in apple production, accounting for more than half of the nation’s total production. (Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture)

• Not surprisingly, the most popular extracurricular activity of students is sports, with 42 percent of children 12 to 17 participating in sports as of 2003.  About one-third of children this age participate in club activities and another 29 percent in lessons (music, dance, language, religion, etc.). (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

• Of those children 12 to 17 who had ever attended or been enrolled in first grade or higher in 2003, 41 percent had changed schools at some point. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

• As of Fall 2003, approximately 83 percent of children 3 to 17 in the nation used a computer at school; 43 percent used the Internet at school. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

This article was based in part on “Facts for Features: Back to School: 2007-2008,” U.S. Census Bureau, June 14, 2007.