{"id":40144,"date":"2026-05-22T16:47:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T21:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/breaking-barriers-since-1972\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:47:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T21:47:24","slug":"breaking-barriers-since-1972","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/breaking-barriers-since-1972\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking barriers since 1972"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Superintendent<\/a><\/p>\n

Superintendent Danielle Walking Eagle receives flowers during a May 15, 2026 celebration at Saint Francis Indian School, marking the school\u2019s rise from \u201cNeeds Improvement\u201d to \u201cApproaching Expectations\u201d under the BIE accountability system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

SAINT FRANCIS \u2013 On May 15, 2026, at 2:15 p.m., the Saint Francis Indian School High School Gym filled with faculty, staff, administrators, students, and school board leaders for a moment that will be remembered as a turning point in the school\u2019s modern history. What unfolded was far more than an assembly. It was a historic celebration of transformation, marking the school\u2019s official transition from the long-standing \u201cNeeds Improvement\u201d designation into the \u201cApproaching Expectations\u201d category under the Bureau of Indian Education\u2019s ESSA aligned accountability system. For a school founded in 1972, this shift represented one of its most significant academic milestones.<\/p>\n

Superintendent Danielle Walking Eagle stood before the crowd with pride, gratitude, and deep emotion. She emphasized that this achievement was the result of intentional leadership, data driven instruction, and the collective commitment of teachers, staff, families, school board members, and the broader community. As she spoke, she honored the strength of a school community that refused to be defined by past labels or limitations. The gym became a symbol of renewal, a place where a school once marked by challenge now stood united, rising into a new era of higher expectations, measurable achievement, and enduring hope.<\/p>\n

Walking Eagle reflected on the school\u2019s progress under the Every Student Succeeds Act, noting that accountability is not simply a requirement from the Bureau of Indian Education but a responsibility she lives every day. \u201cThe Bureau shared a roadmap of what accountability status is going to be,\u201d she said. \u201cAs superintendent, it is what I live up to as accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

She highlighted the many student centered programs working together to strengthen the school community, including FACE, Elementary, Middle School, High School, GATE, Special Education, Section 504, Lakota Language, counseling, intervention systems, athletics, and enrichment programs. Each area functions as part of a coordinated system aligned with ESSA requirements, designed to improve academic proficiency, attendance, graduation rates, and overall student well-being. Together, these programs advance a unified mission: ensuring every student succeeds academically, emotionally, socially, and culturally while preparing for leadership and postsecondary readiness.<\/p>\n

Under ESSA\u2019s accountability framework, schools are evaluated through indicators such as academic proficiency, attendance, graduation rates, and continuous improvement. Walking Eagle proudly shared that Saint Francis Indian School has reached an approximately 83 percent graduation rate and a 92 percent attendance rate, reflecting strong momentum and sustained progress.<\/p>\n

She traced the school\u2019s enrollment journey to show how far the community has come. In 2019\u20132020, the school had 596 students. During the COVID 19 lockdown year, enrollment shifted to 520. When she entered leadership in 2021, the work of rebuilding systems and restoring accurate data began. Enrollment stabilized at 543 in 2021\u20132022 and 536 in 2022\u2013 2023, followed by 506 in 2023\u2013 2024 as systems were rebuilt with purpose and accountability. She refused to see these numbers as decline. \u201cI see the foundation of transformation,\u201d she said. In 2024\u20132025, enrollment rose to 611 students, the highest in recent years, reflecting restored confidence and returning families. For 2025\u20132026, the school stands strong at 542 students. \u201cThese numbers are not just data points,\u201d she said. \u201cThey represent a community that has moved through challenge, rebuilt with purpose, and is now stepping forward with vision, strength, and unwavering belief in our students.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the current school year, the school reports 542 enrolled students, a 92 percent attendance rate, and an approximately 83 percent graduation rate. Attendance, once impacted by post pandemic recovery and chronic absenteeism, has reached its highest levels in recent years. This turnaround reflects intentional systems of support, early interventions, and coordinated schoolwide efforts to improve student engagement.<\/p>\n

Academic proficiency continues to show steady gains. Walking Eagle emphasized that progress is the result of consistency, training, and strategic action planning. \u201cIt\u2019s steady. It\u2019s consistency. It\u2019s training. It\u2019s strategic action planning,\u201d she said. \u201cIt matters that we are ready.\u201d A key shift this year was beginning Bureau assessment preparation nearly ten weeks earlier than before, giving students extended exposure to standards-based instruction. \u201cWe start earlier this year,\u201d she explained. \u201cTo expose students to the standards in the area we need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Academic achievement has risen significantly across English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. ELA proficiency increased from 12 percent in 2020\u2013 2021 to 30 percent in 2024\u20132025. Mathematics rose from 5 percent to 35 percent, and Science grew from 2 percent to 12 percent. \u201cWe are not seeing isolated gains,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are seeing a system changing through consistency, training, and action planning.\u201d The audience responded with applause, recognizing the years of dedication behind these results.<\/p>\n

Throughout her remarks, Walking Eagle credited teachers as the foundation of the school\u2019s progress. \u201cYou teachers are the backbone of this change,\u201d she told them. She acknowledged the challenging but necessary role of administrators and principals in maintaining accountability. \u201cIf the administrators are mean, because they want things done right, and they monitor your instructional time to be with the students, that\u2019s right because they are accountable.\u201d Principals and directors underwent rigorous evaluations because, as she stated, \u201cIt is in the law, it is the ESSA.\u201d<\/p>\n

She urged teachers to remain engaged in the Comprehensive Needs Assessment process. \u201cYou are brilliant,\u201d she said. \u201cYou know who is lacking in skills. You know who has skills. You know our students.\u201d She challenged educators to move beyond their comfort zones, reminding them that they understand the community and its struggles better than anyone. \u201cThis is your school,\u201d she said passionately.<\/p>\n

In one of the most emotional moments of the gathering, Walking Eagle, with teary eyes, thanked the entire school community for believing in the mission and helping achieve what once seemed impossible. \u201cWe did it,\u201d she said softly. \u201cFrom the bottom of my heart, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

For years, the school remained classified as \u201cNeeds Improvement.\u201d Now, for the first time in recent history, it has officially moved into \u201cApproaching Expectations\u201d and is steadily advancing toward \u201cMeeting Expectations.\u201d But Walking Eagle made clear that the journey is not finished. \u201cEveryone wants to reach exceeds expectations,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want to be the number one school in the Bureau of Indian Education.\u201d<\/p>\n

To honor the extraordinary commitment of faculty and staff, she announced that principals and directors would provide $1,000 performance incentives. \u201cSpend it wisely,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cBuy yourself the best dinner. You earned it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the celebration concluded, she called on everyone to continue building stronger teams, mentoring future leaders, and working collectively toward the next milestone. \u201cWe need all of you,\u201d she reminded the audience. \u201cYou know what students need. You know what they need to learn. You guys and these leaders took us where we need to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

With resilience, accountability, and hope guiding the way, Saint Francis Indian School now stands as a testament to what visionary leadership and collective determination can accomplish. Walking Eagle closed with gratitude to the school board, tribal council, parents, and community members. \u201cThis work is not done alone,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is built through every teacher, every parent, every leader, and every community member who believes in our children and stands with us in this mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post Breaking barriers since 1972<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Superintendent Danielle Walking Eagle receives flowers during a May 15, 2026 celebration at Saint Francis Indian School, marking the school\u2019s rise from \u201cNeeds Improvement\u201d to \u201cApproaching Expectations\u201d under the BIE accountability system. SAINT FRANCIS \u2013 On May 15, 2026, at 2:15 p.m., the Saint Francis Indian School High School Gym <\/p>\n

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